Mystery Skulls -- Renewal
by Paperbending
Summary: Lewis has been dead for months. At least, they thought he had been, which was why Arthur and Vivi were so surprised to see him alive and...well, not-so-well. Lewis doesn't know anything about the accident, all he knows is that he has a score to settle with Arthur, and he'll do anything to see it through.
1. Prologue

_**BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.** The ache arced through his body just as evenly as his lifeblood pulsed out, pooled beneath him onto the cavern floor. He looked to the side, slowly, agonizingly slowly. His vision blurred as he moved his head, some of his pink bangs swinging down over his eyes, obstructing them from the blue…shape, looking at him. His vision was still blurred, still hazy from whatever had hit him. _ I must have hit my head something awful on the way…down…

 _There was the ache again. **BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.** It was filing his ears now, tearing through his eardrums, vibrating him to his core. It was too hard to think, let alone breathe, so he simply looked, let his thoughts slip down below with the dripping crimson lakes under him._

I think I might have broken something _. That thought, right before it slipped from his grasp, somehow made him as giddy as a child, and he laughed. Mistake. Disaster. He coughed, choked, and felt a trickle down one corner of his mouth. He gently turned his head, felt his neck grind as he turned away from the blue shape – was it lying on the ground now? – and faced his chest._

 _That's when he saw IT. A…sharp…thing. What were they called again? Something…something that began with an "s". A sta…Stagra…Stala…_

 _ **BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.**_

 _There's the ache again. It's getting quieter now. Maybe it's just the world getting quiet around me? It's probably the stalagmite, it must have punctured something…_

 _AHA! THAT's what it was called! He almost cheered out loud, if it wasn't for the air that was almost gone from his lungs. He tried to breathe in, tried to ask the blue shape for help, and felt fire greet his lungs instead._

 _He heard screaming somewhere, a wail that pierced the muted pulsing that had fallen over the world. Was it the blue one? No, no her scream was different-_ it was a she? _-but the noise…it was coming from above…_  
 _BOOM…Boom…boom..._

 _A cliff was above him, so he couldn't see what was making that noise, although he did see what he thought was a flash of yellow-orange standing up there. Yellow-orange…why did that feel familiar…_

 _boom… boom…. boom…_

 _The pulsing was slowing. Still deafening, though. It was almost as bad as not knowing where he was._

 _Why was EVERYTHING in here so familiar, but he couldn't place it? It was so frustrating, so INFURIATING to feel like that, to feel like you knew something or someone important, but didn't know who or what it was. The blue shape had stood up again, stumbled away through the emerald glow of the cave, away from him. Why did an act so small feel like something so…wrong? Almost like He knew…that…_

Black. Black and quiet.

And then, suddenly everything was crystal and sharp. The pulse was gone, but the cave was dark. It had lost its venomous tint, and the blurred shapes that he couldn't make out before were likely long gone. Lewis searched the cave around himself, saw nothing bit a small pink glow near himself. He looked down to the source of the light and saw a sight that chilled him down to his bones and marrow.

In fact, that's all he was. Bones, covered in a three-piece suit, and adorned with a simple, heart-shaped locket. Lewis recognized this…He stopped, as a thought slowly dawned on him. He remembered more than just the locket now. He remembered his name. He remembered the trip to the cave.  
He remembered his friends.

Vivi. His beloved Vivi. The blue shape, that had crumpled at the sight of his…  
Oh, God. His body. Lewis suddenly felt sick to his stomach. But he continued on, thought about what else he could remember, ensured that all his memories were there.

He remembered Mystery, Vivi's dog. The poor thing had looked suspicious of the cave the entire time; they'd eventually had to drag him in. Oh, if only he'd listened to Arthur and Mystery, then maybe he wouldn't…

…

…

Arthur.

…

His best friend.

…

His best friend…who had pushed him off of that cliff…

Lewis' feeling of concern changed to one of hurt and confusion.

Boom. The pulse had started again.

Lewis didn't even notice. His mind was preoccupied, going from confusion to anger.

 **Boom. Boom. BOOM. BOOM.**

Anger to Rage.

 **BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM**

Rage to Fury.

And in his fury, the world exploded in sound and fire.


	2. Chapter 1: Rememberances

Arthur awoke with a start, nearly jumping and smashing his head against the low ceiling that hung near his bed.

"Same dream, same ending," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his head and wiping the sleep from his eyes with his arm. Slowly, he stood, grabbed his prosthetic from its charger in the wall, and affixed it to his shoulder. He did his daily self-check, flexing the elbow, wrist and fingers of the mechanical limb to ensure nothing needed a tune-up before the day began. But while he was checking the prosthetic, his mind was on other things. Every morning, he thought of it at least once. The debacle in the Diablo Caves outside of town. The metal arm he carried now only served as a reminder of what had happened that night. Of what he…

Arthur shook his head clean of the thoughts as he entered the kitchen and reached for a cereal box out of the pantry. It was no way to start the morning. Besides, he had gone through the scenario at least a thousand times before in the past eighteen months since Lewis had mysteriously died in the caves. The police reports say that Lewis had slipped, falling to his death on the stalagmites below. Arthur had confirmed as much. He had lied through his teeth, and no one had batted an eye. Of course, they probably would believe the story of a young man who had lost his entire left arm in the accident. Besides, what could he tell them? That a "mysterious force" had compelled him to push his best friend over the cliff? And then, in order to save him, his other friend's dog who was actually SOME KIND OF MONSTER had ripped his arm clean off, but had failed to save her master's boyfriend? Had he told the truth, he would have been laughed out of the police station, or worse, sent to a psychiatric ward. He hadn't been able to tell anyone. Not even Vivi. Vivi, who should have seen the whole thing, but couldn't remember anything. He remembered how she ran up the tunnel, screaming and crying. Seeing him missing an arm had only made her worse. Then suddenly her eyes flashed pink and she fell, unresponsive, to the ground. Arthur had thought that would be the end of them all, right there.

And then the dog had saved them.

Mystery had pulled both of them out of the cave, and managed to wake up Vivi in his dog form before Arthur finally passed out himself. When he woke up, he was in the hospital. The few days afterward were a blur; the police took his account of the story, Vivi and Mystery came in to visit him regularly, and Lance, his uncle, refused to leave his side until he was able to leave. Vivi asked him a myriad of questions, one after another, but one thing kept ringing through his mind, loud as a church bell: _she doesn't know_.

She deserves to, though. He had to tell her. He needed to tell her. He was going to tell her.

And then he didn't. He didn't have the heart to. He had already lost one friend, he couldn't bear to lose another so soon.

That should have been the end of it. The secret should have been buried with Lewis' casket, and the tragedy ended right there. But then, they had gone to scope out the old Childswood Mansion on the outskirts of town. Someone had suggested that they examine the place, that there was a lot of weird sightings in the area. There, Arthur found out that his secrets weren't nearly as buried as he thought.

And neither was Lewis.

His first reaction: fear. Fear for his life. Unbelievable. His best friend, whom he'd thought dead, suddenly returns, and Arthur runs away? He should have been hugging him, laughing, crying, _something_ other than run. But, as usual, he took the coward's road. He ran away from confrontation. He could have explained everything to Lewis, he could have gone to grab Vivi too, he could have told them everything and it would have been fine and…and…

…And Lewis would have burned him to a cinder before he could get a single word out. He'd seen what the ghost had done to the mansion in his tantrum; he'd leveled the front hall and compromised the whole structural integrity of the place with the spreading flames. It's a miracle that there was a rainstorm that passed by to put out the flames, or the rest of the house would have burned down too. That kind of temper was NOT the kind of thing that Arthur wanted to be on the receiving end of, even if he deserved it. No, for now, at least, he needed to avoid Lewis if he could. Then again, now that the ghost was awake, he would probably start hunting Arthur for revenge. That thought alone nearly made him drop the carton of milk in his hands from the fridge. This wasn't a problem he could face alone.

But then, who could he tell?

Lewis hated him.

Mystery? The dog-who-wasn't-a-dog? Arthur had watched the six-tailed monster rip his arm clean out of his socket, then _swallow it whole_ , the way an alligator swallows a fish. Mystery may have stopped whatever force it was that had made him kill Lewis, but Arthur wasn't sure if he was doing it to help. It seemed more like the dog (if Arthur could even call him that anymore) had done it because he was _hungry_.

Vivi? Absolutely not. There was NO WAY that he was going to rope her into this. Vivi had gotten a fresh start from whatever had happened in the cave. She deserved to keep that; she didn't need to know what happened between the four of them.

As much as Arthur hated to admit it, this time, he was on his own. And that thought scared him even more that Lewis' fire.


	3. Chapter 2: Impatience

Where IS that guy? He's never missed a breakfast before."  
Vivi looked down and asked her dog, Mystery, whose leash was attached to the table at the café they were eating at. Arthur's favorite breakfast spot, no less. She'd picked the spot just for that reason, in fact. She'd hoped that by organizing a breakfast meet-up, she could get him to open up after a few of his favorite waffle stacks (although what possesses a guy to put oysters in a waffle, she would never understand.). He'd finally, grudgingly said yes, but she had waited for almost an hour and there was still no sign of him. He wasn't answering his phone, either, letting everything go to voicemail. She'd been trying to get in touch with Arthur for DAYS since their last bust, and he'd always avoided her calls, always said that he had work to do at the shop, always _something_ to keep him away from them. And quite frankly, Vivi was getting sick of it. She'd seen some weird stuff in that old mansion, and Arthur seemed to know something about it. Which raised the question: why wouldn't he tell her? Arthur told Vivi _everything_.

 _I just hope nothing's wrong..._

Mystery whined in response to her question, pawing the table leg he was linked to. Vivi was snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at him. "Oh, right! Sorry, boy. I guess we're all forgetting things this morning, huh?" Mystery looked at her dead in the eye as she said _forgetting_. As she reached down and gave him some of her pastry that she ordered, she marveled at how…odd her dog acted sometimes. He was a smart dog, that was for certain, but the way he acted sometimes almost made him seem _intelligent_.

She winced as he ate the croissant half. There was nothing intelligent about the way he ate, that was for certain. Mystery never chewed his food, he always had to swallow it whole. Vivi had reprimanded him about it before, but it never did any good. On this, the dog was always adamant. Vivi was certain that he was going to choke himself on something if he wasn't careful…

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a pink flash. Instinctively, not really sure why she did so, she whipped around to get a better look, trademark scarf flying into her face as she did. After a couple of imaginative curses (apparently, "son of a bootlicker" wasn't a curse that people usually used), she finally got the thing out of her face, but the flash was gone. That pink flash recognized her of something, she knew it did, but she couldn't place what it was. She knew it was important, but beyond that…she hit a wall. She tried to think harder, reach for thoughts that were brushing her fingertips…

And then blasting pain in her head. She hunched over in her chair, clutching her skull in pain, as the rhythmic, pulsing headache nearly made her head twitch in time to some alien, disturbed tune. Mystery immediately bolted up from his sitting position and started barking in alarm. A few people turned around from their seats to see what the commotion was all about. Vivi didn't notice, not until a waiter came over and tentatively tapped her shoulder.

"ExCUSe mE, Miss, ARE You feELINgg alrIGHT? YOU Seem like YOU're in A BIt of PAIN."

Even the voices of other people got blurred in the migraines' pounding now. This was getting out of hand.

"F-fine, thank you. Just a bit of a headache, t-that's all. Do you mind if I can get the check, now, please? I don't think my friend is coming after all."

"Are YOU Sure? WE Have soME PainKILLERs in tHE Back. I caN GO get sOME for YOU if you…"

"No, no, just the check, thanks," Vivi answered, a little too harshly. The waiter reluctantly left her table and brought her check out. Vivi could barely sign her name with the beat of a big bass drum being played in her frontal lobe. She fumbled Mystery's leash off of the table leg and staggered away from the café, people at their own tables murmuring concern behind her. Why did this happen every time she tried to think about pink things? Why pink? Every time something happened to her, for the past year and a half, it had to do with pink. And things had only gotten worse after their ghost hunt in the PINK mansion, with the PINK fires and the PINK ghost who tried to end them all. He had chased them all around the house, trailing flames in his wake. The trio had been able to evade him for a bit, but eventually, he managed to corner Arthur. Vivi, in a desperate attempt to save Arthur, had managed to throw herself in front of the ghost to save Arthur, most likely at the cost of her own life…and instead the ghost had simply stopped. He stared at her, confused pink orbs staring at her from empty sockets in the skull. That's when she noticed the heart. A heart-shaped locket, hanging from the ghost's suit – no, floating, because it started to float towards her, and right as it was in her grasp…

Arthur intervened. Vivi had always joked that he was the brains of the group, but never the guts. Arthur had grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway, as she watched the ghost behind them. She saw the hurt in his eyes. Saw the hurt reflect sadness, longing, despair…but most of all, anger and betrayal. And then the whole front half of the mansion went nuclear and Arthur nearly ripped her arm off getting them out of there and her head hurt more than ever and ARTHUR KNEW MORE THAN HE WAS TELLING AND IT MADE VIVI FLIPPING FURIOUS.

That was it. Vivi had had enough. Mystery had been following close behind, with that curious glint in his eyes he had whenever he had those nearly-intelligent moments. Fingers gripping the leash tightly, Vivi said through gritted teeth, "Come on, Mystery. We're going to go get me some Advil, and then we're going to go have a serious chat with Arthur. Whether he wants to or not."


	4. Chapter 3: Decisions

Arthur sat in his room, staring at the ceiling, wondering about what he was going to do now. He had just gotten Vivi's last voicemail, and she sounded less than happy about him skipping out on their breakfast.

 _Damned if you do, Damned if you don't…_

Of course, he hadn't really had an appetite the whole day. Not having an appetite, what was wrong with him? He could eat any time of the day, especially if it was at the only place in town that served oyster-loaded waffles. Vivi always got grossed out by it; how he always got oysters on everything that he ate. Sometimes he got the oyster platter at restaurants less because he loved seafood and more just to see Vivi's hilarious facial reactions to the food. Thinking about old times like that made him laugh out loud, wishing that they were still around. Wish that things were like they were before…

Why was he so melancholy all of a sudden? The way he was thinking about Vivi, it was as if she was gone too.

 _That's because she WILL be gone, when she knows the truth. You can't hide it forever._

Frustrated, Arthur punched the wall with his prosthetic, leaving a deeper hole in his "anger mark". Arthur had a spot on the wall where whenever he was frustrated, or upset, or even just really annoyed, he would hit the wall. At first, Lance was really angry when he saw the dent in the wall, but after a while, he just shrugged it off. "every guy needs a stress ball, 'uh-guess," he had said, beard muffling the last bits of his sentences, and had gone off to the shop. Arthur had used his "anger mark" more and more in the past year, though, and Arthur got the feeling Lance knew why.

Arthur was stuck. He knew he had to say _something_ to Vivi, but he wasn't sure how to. He wished that he had Lewis' way with words. He had always been the awkward one of their trio, always sitting behind Lewis and Vivi when they had to get equipment for a bust or negotiate with a customer.

Arthur scrubbed his hands through his hair. He couldn't deal with this anymore. He had to get out for a bit. Not just outside the house, not just out for some air, he needed to get _away._ He never had been good with facing conflict, but _this_ this was too much. He grabbed his backpack, started getting ready, put some things together that he would need. He wouldn't be gone long, a week at most, just to clear his head a little. Should he tell anyone?

If he told anyone, it would eventually get to Vivi, and he KNEW that Vivi would try to head him off before he got out of town. But still, he didn't want Uncle Lance to panic when he wasn't there in the morning. As he jotted a note down on a scrap of paper, he thought to himself: _either way, Vivi is going to find out. Why are you so desperate to avoid her?_

Because of how she would react. What she would do.

 _What if she finds out from someone other than you?_

Then this will all probably be for nothing, and I won't have to worry anymore.

 _You realize you're probably over-reacting._

Yeah. Yeah, I probably am.

Arthur had everything packed, and he wanted to get out as soon as possible. The longer he waited, the more likely someone would catch him on his way out. But as he was leaving the note on his uncle's door, he had a thought that maybe there was someone else he should tell about his plan. With his first stop decided, Arthur stepped outside, locked his door, turned around, and set out into the night.


	5. Chapter 4: Blood Ties

Arthur stopped at the door of the _Pepper Paradiso_ Restaurant. At this time of night, they would be closed, but Mr. and Mrs. Pepper lived right next door, so they would stay for hours afterward sometimes. Arthur dearly hoped that this was one of those times. He brought his hand up, hesitated, then knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, then began to think that the couple had turned in for the night when a short, thin man answered the door, shorter than Vivi. His hair, once a vibrant pink, was now white in the top of his head, despite the fact that the man was only in his late forties.

Mr. Pepper's eyes widened when he saw Arthur's face, and in his small voice said, "…Arthur?! Is that you?"

"H-Hey, there, Mr. Pepper."

"Oh, my, oh my! Come in, Come in!" Mr. Pepper grinned as he opened the door wide and gestured with his arm for Arthur to enter. Arthur walked in and looked at the place he had once visited every day with Vivi and Mystery. The massive dining hall that opened up past the foyer could have doubled as a ballroom, and on occasion, for the weddings that the Peppers had catered for, it did. Chandeliers of ruby-red crystal and gold chain hung from the ceiling. The many windows surrounding the walls were draped in sparkling white curtains that could have been made from frosting. The décor of the building had always reflected the food that Mr. and Mrs. Pepper had created here, from the sweetest desserts to the hottest entrees. Arthur fondly remembered back when Arthur and Lewis were still children, and Mr. and Mrs. Pepper had used them as test subjects for their newest creations. One time Arthur's taste buds were so burned he couldn't taste for a week, but that didn't stop him from coming back. The Peppers were two of the best cooks in the county, if not the state.

Mr. Pepper called inside after Arthur had stepped in, "Gigi! Come look who's here!"

Out of the kitchen doorway stepped a tall woman with long red hair and a dirty chef's apron. She froze as she saw the boy, now nearly a man, walking in with her husband. Mrs. Pepper had always been the more stoic of the two, but her emotions ran deep, as evidenced by how fiercely she hugged Arthur when she saw him. She smelled like hot peppers, just like Lewis always had. Arthur hadn't been around to the _Pepper Paradiso_ since he'd had to explain what happened to Lewis, out of shame, but Mrs. Pepper hugged him as if no time had gone by at all. As if the incident had never happened. Arthur hesitated for a moment, then returned the gesture, just glad to see an old friend again.

After the hug, though, Mrs. Pepper held Arthur by the shoulders and stared him sternly in the eye.

"You. Kitchen. Now." Her commanding Cockney accent was just as inspiring and intimidating as it had been when Lewis and he were kids. She whirled around and marched back through the swinging kitchen doorway. Arthur looked nervously back at Mr. Pepper, and was greeted by a kinder, but equally serious look.

"Best to do as she says, Arthur. You've been away for far too long, and she and I both have some catching up to do with you. Besides, look at you! You look like you haven't eaten in days. You know Gigi won't let you leave without giving you something to eat first."

Arthur sat down at the kitchen table that the staff used for their breaks and meals. Mrs. Pepper came from the stove with three mugs of steaming hot chocolate, and placed one down in front of Arthur, before turning to her husband and giving him one as well. "Drink up darling," Mrs. Pepper said to him. The Peppers sat on the other two sides of the table, the fourth side being joined to the wall. Mr. Pepper sat across from Arthur, Mrs. Pepper adjacent to him. Arthur drank deep as they sat, the warmth of the sweet, yet bitter and spicy drink suffusing his cheeks and throat as he drank. This kind of drink was the kind that Mrs. Pepper only made for family. She refused to make it for the restaurant, claiming it was a family recipe, and should thusly stay in the family. The fact that she considered Arthur a member of her family, even after he had told her the whole and entire truth a year ago, was a ground-shaking thought.

"So, Mister Kingsman," Mrs. Pepper began, "I hope you've got quite a few things to tell us after not coming to visit for over a year."

Arthur paused, looking for the right words to say. "Well, first of all, I wanted to let the two of you know that I'm, ah, well…"

Mr. and Mrs. Pepper waited for him to finish.

"I'm really glad to see you guys again! It's just been so long that I just wanted to come in and say hi and-"

Mr. Pepper cut in: "Arthur, your evading."

"W-What? N-no, I just wanted to stop by and say hello! You know, ask how the girls are doing, how are they doing anyway, Candy, Cayenne, and Carolina must all be–"

"Arthur." Mrs. Pepper's voice silenced him immediately. "What's going on?"

Arthur stared at Mrs. Pepper for a moment, then sighed, defeated.

"I'm leaving."

Mr. Pepper's eyebrows shot up, while Mrs. Pepper's face remained inscrutable. Arthur continued on,

"I don't know where, or for how long, but I need to get away from town for a little bit."

Mr. Pepper immediately started asking, "Why now though? What brought this on? Oh, dear, oh, dear, does anyone else know about this? Have you told your uncle?"

"No, Uncle Lance doesn't know _yet._ I've left him a note explaining that I need to go out to clear my head, and that I promise to be back by the end of the week, but …"

Mrs. Pepper spoke again, "You shouldn't make that man worry any more than he needs to, Arthur. He's dealt with more than you realize. All of us, Vivi's parents and ourselves included; we all have. Which reminds me: does Vivi know?"

Arthur sighed again, and said, "No, I haven't told her yet. I was hoping to explain myself after I get back, after she's had some time to cool down from—"

"Cool down from what? Arthur, you haven't been avoiding her, too, have you?"

Arthur started to speak, make an excuse, but under Mrs. Pepper's intense glare, all Arthur's evasive thoughts evaporated and he simply said, "Yes."

Mrs. Pepper pulled her husband closer to her and whispered something in his ear. He looked down in thought as she spoke, then nodded to her, stood, and moved to another part of the kitchen. Mrs. Pepper turned back to Arthur and began to speak again.

"Arthur, that night that you spoke to us about…" her voice quivered momentarily, then she regained her composure and continued, "about my boy, you asked me not to tell Vivi. You said that she deserved to hear the truth from you, because it was 'your fault', as you put it. I've said it before: what happened that night was not your fault—"

Arthur stood up as he exclaimed, "But it was! It _was_ my fault and now –" He stopped dead as Mrs. Pepper scowled at him. One of the biggest things Lewis and Mrs. Pepper had in common besides their love for spicy food: they both _hated_ being interrupted. Arthur sat back down and allowed Mrs. Pepper to continue.

"As I said, it wasn't your fault—not that you'll listen to me – but I agree with you. Vivi deserves to hear the truth from someone who was there. Now Arthur: did you ever follow through with that? Did you ever tell that poor girl what really happened?"

Arthur's voice was barely a whisper: "No."

Mrs. Pepper's face showed a hint of disappointment as she replied, "I didn't think so. Arthur, I am not your mother, so I can't order you to tell her the truth. I know that you're scared of how she'll react, but this guilt that's been eating at you is like a chest cold. And you remember my cure for colds, don't you?"

Arthur cringed as he remembered: "chili paste."

"Exactly. That paste is just like the truth. The cure may burn for a bit, but in the end, you'll feel much better for going through with it."

Arthur chuckled to himself as he said, "You always did swear by peppers as a cure-all. You even used them that one time that Lewis had the chicken pox. Remember how that ended?"

Mrs. Pepper allowed herself a smirk. "Not one of my brightest moments as a parent, I suppose. But that's what life is about: learning. You can't hide from your problems, Arthur. One way or another, you'll have to face them, and learn from them."

Mrs. Pepper looked behind her as Mr. Pepper returned, carrying a box. He handed it off to Arthur, who, curious, looked inside. The box was filled with different meals from the restaurant, made for on-the-go eating. Arthur looked back up at the couple.

Mr. Pepper said, "We can't let you leave without a proper send-off, can we? This should keep your belly full for the next few days while you're on the road, Arthur."

Arthur stood, speechless, at the two chefs standing before him. His voice trembling, he asked them, "How can you two be so nice to me? After what happened? After everything?"

Mrs. Pepper walked up to him and put the food in his backpack. She looked at him square in the eye and said, "Because you're family. You and Vivi both. We may not be your parents, but we love you two all the same. No matter what happens." She and Mr. Pepper walked Arthur back to the door, and Mrs. Pepper embraced him once more before saying, "Come back soon Arthur."

She added with a glare, "I mean it. Soon, as in 'immediately when you're back' soon."

Arthur looked at them, then outside, then back to them, and said with a smile, "I think I'd like that."


	6. Chapter 5: Said the Spider to the Fly

**(3 days after Lewis' death)**

This is a world of lies.

 ** _Twisting,_**

 ** _Turning,_**

 ** _Always churning._**

Lady Illusion masks her children, Avarice and Wrath, as Intelligence and Justice. Two children whose talents I keep in steady supply. I am formless, shapeless besides the wind of my breath and the glow of my spirit. Here, my mind, ever scheming, is all that keeps me sane in my earthly tether of a prison. And my rage. Oh, my rage.

 ** _Burning,_**

 ** _Breaking,_**

 ** _Shaking,_**

 ** _Quaking._**

My rage at the void for abandoning me. My rage at my other half for sealing me. My rage that sustains me, but also changes my thoughts to gibbering nonsense as swiftly as the winds fly. My rage at the insects who dared to interrupt my misery in the cave. Rage at first, but then, curiosity, and then, the ecstasy of opportunity.

 ** _Cracking,_**

 ** _Crunching,_**

 ** _Crushing,_**

 ** _Gushing._**

All it takes is a small nudge to send my plan in motion. Or, in this case, a small push. I watched as his lifeblood ebbed away from his body. Flesh is broken so easily. The youngling ghost takes his new situation far better than I had anticipated. I had expected a slight delay in the ghost's development as he adjusted to his new state. The trauma of death usually makes Ghosts unresponsive for months or years at a time. Yet this Ghost is already adapted to his new life in death, and shows no signs of needing any prodding to direct his anger.

I make myself known to him, deep within the bowels of my prison, his own blood barely dried upon the rocks. I whisper in his ears where he sits, causing him to look up from the locket he clings to. "Who's there?!" he cries out, unable to keep the despair from his tone. His fear amuses me, despite its justification. He assumes I am one of his kind's 'bogeymen' here to send him to the Void.

All things in good time, little one. Your purpose has yet to be fulfilled.

"Would you see me, youngling? Truly?"

The little Ghost hesitates, standing in his suit, attempting to make himself look stronger than he is. "What are you?" is his response.

"A fellow spirit, wronged by tragedy lost to time immemorial. But do not fear me. I am no stranger to what you feel now. I am no stranger to pain."

He hesitates as I weave my web tighter, continuing, "I am no stranger to betrayal."

"What happened to you?"

"The same as you, little one. I was abandoned here, by one I once called 'friend'. I was trapped here, entombed and left to be forgotten."

"Then why talk to me?" The youngling was skeptical. Wise, for a newborn.

"I would see you avoid that same fate. I have spent millennia within this prison, and it is something I would never wish upon another soul. But something tells me that you will not rest until you see yourself avenged, and justice served. Is that true?"

He swung his head in the direction of my voice. "I want him to suffer for what he did to me. But more than that. I want…" His eyes were filled with pain. "I want to know _why_ he did it. He was my best friend. Why would he…"

He hovers on the brink. When words fail, spectacle never falters.

Ordinarily, I would never be able to hold a body in this confinement. However, one of the humans left behind a gift for me. At the time, I could scarcely believe my luck at seeing the tools that wandered in. But I didn't hesitate. I poured myself into the human's limb, pushed my new puppet to his death, orchestrated everything. But then the infernal guard-dog attempted to ensure I could not play with my new toy. I was weak, and in an unfamiliar vessel, and for a moment, I feared that my end had truly come. Fortunately for me, but not for the dog-that-was-no-dog, it would seem human flesh is something he can't quite stomach very well. He retched, and, seeing the arm as nothing but bones now, assumed that I had dissolved with the flesh. Having someone attempt to digest you is never a pleasant experience, but in the end, I got what I wanted. And in the dog's rush to save his charges, he left the human's bones exactly where they had lain before.

I will green wisps of my essence to lift the bones from their place on the cliff, center myself around this piece of flesh, anchor myself to it. The bones gain new skin, the emerald of my essence flowing to form muscle, sinew, and skin. I become slender, youthful, graceful, my four arms as dexterous as they are beautiful. Well, three of them anyway. The fourth arm, built around the anchor bones, is large, deformed, and brutish, and refuses to move to my will. I am irritated, but let the matter pass. Even with my power guiding its form, flesh still has its limitations. I return my attention to the young Ghost. His face displays both wonder at my nearly perfect beauty, and disgust at my imperfection.

"What…what's wrong with your arm?" he asks.

I sigh, my voice dripping with sympathy. He is snapped out of his trance and looks down. I smirk. He is already mine, and he doesn't even know it.

"Humans are among the most irrational creatures I have ever known. My arm was once part of a human, so I suppose it merely reflects that corruption. They are blinded by the basest of vices: pride, greed, envy…lust." He looks up sharply as I emphasize the final word. The seed of doubt is planted.

I take my first steps in my new form, treading lightly upon the gravel floor of my soon-to-be-former prison. I touch the stalagmites of the cave floor, run my new hands across its rough surface. I haven't felt sensations like this in eons, and can barely contain my pure elation. I look back to the ghost. I say, "I haven't had a body for over two thousand years. It may take me some time to get used to. In the meantime, we have some time to get to know one another. Tell me, youngling, what is your name?"

"Lewis."

I smile kindly at him before leaping and taking a seat upon a nearby high rock, sitting cross-legged, sage-like, looking down upon him. "And tell me, Lewis, what is it you wish for? All ghosts must have something they greatly desire, in order to push through the veil of death."

He looks at me, a desperate anger taking over his features. "I want him dead. I want justice. No, more than that. I want him to suffer before he dies. You're an old spirit, you said so yourself. You must know everything there is to know about spirits and their powers. You can teach me how to get back at Arthur."

I study him for a bit. He is volatile, but seems to be in control enough to pursue his goals. With the right approach, he will serve my purposes well enough. I leap down from my pedestal, say to him, "The journey to mastering yourself enough to find what you seek will be long, and not without hardship."

"I don't care. All I want is to give him what he deserves."

I walk closer to him, stop an arm's length away from him, and ask him: "How far are you willing to go to get what you want, little ghost?"

His eye-holes narrow in determination as he replies, "As far as I need to. He won't get away from what's coming to him."

"It appears we have an agreement, then," I say. "I will give you the aid you seek – in return for a small favor of your own."

"What kind of favor?"

"When you have the revenge you seek, be sure to end it here. End this tragedy where it began."

"Why do you care where I end the little weasel?"

"I understand your pain much better than you know, and would love dearly to see you claim your justice firsthand. However, despite your former friend's…" I gesture at my twisted arm; "…Generous donation, I am still rather limited to where I can be. I am still unable to leave this cave, and likely never will leave it again."

His eyes widen in shock. "How…How long did you say you've been here?"

"Somewhere past twenty-five hundred of your people's years, although it is difficult to keep track of time down here." His face shows pity for me. Pity? For me? Oh, youngling, if only you knew with whom you were dealing with.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize…it must be hard."

I look at him again, surprised. Out of all the responses I could have received, I didn't expect this. Perhaps I…

Perhaps he will be more useful than I thought. I have come so far. I will not fade or falter now.

"So," I ask, "do we have a deal?"

I offer him one of my delicate hands, and he hesitantly takes it in a handshake.

And at last, the trap, so slow to close, is sprung.

 ** _Growling,_**

 ** _Prowling,_**

 ** _Poking,_**

 ** _Smoking,_**

 ** _Never stops the Choking_**

My time is approaching. I have survived everything, from caging, to enduring an eternity alone, to being nearly devoured. Spirits like that dog always did bite off more than they could chew. I can't fault him for trying.

But I am beyond him.

I am beyond stone, spirit, and flesh.

I am the End Incarnate.

I am Mauta. And the Cycle will not be chained for much longer.


	7. Chapter 6: Relax, Remember, Retreat

Vivi walked to the van in a sulk. She'd hoped to find Arthur at his house, or that Lance could at least help her find him. But Lance had been no help at all; in fact, Vivi had had to calm the poor man down for a bit after she got to Arthur's house. Lance had bags under his eyes, his beard was even more haggard than usual, his clothes were crooked, and he was manic to thepoint of being nearly unintelligible when Vivi got there. Vivi tried to ask Lance if he knew where Arthur was, but Lance had already checked all the places around town he could think of, and was at the point of calling in a missing person's report. Vivi had managed to sit him down, tell him that she didn't think it was worth calling the police over, and left after promising to bring Arthur back home. She actually had to sit and stew for a moment in the van's driver seat before driving. Arthur always had said that she could be a bit, well, _crazy_ , when she drove angry. Of course, thinking about Arthur more just made her even more heated.

She couldn't deal with this. Not right now. She had searched for him across half of the town, and had only succeeded in giving herself another headache. Lance was worried sick, and she had given her word to him that she would find Arthur – and also give him a piece of her mind when she found him – but that had to wait. She wasn't going to make any headway in her search if she was letting her anger cloud her judgement. She unlocked her phone and checked her favorite online hubs for reporting ghost activity in the area. A bunch of people reported sightings in the area for a few spots, a couple of tempting high-price deals – she wouldn't do those alone, though, it was too dangerous – until she saw something that piqued her interest.

 _Help wanted: investigation of abandoned Childswood Mansion, reports of large amounts of paranormal activity. LSL: 2_. _Please refer all inquiries to comment chain._

Vivi and her boys had responded to a hundred calls like this before. It was most likely some worried landholder hoping to make a quick profit on a plot he had bought without thinking. LSL stood for Lowest Spirit Level, or the bottom-end level of spirit believed to be present in an area. Ghosthunters organized ghosts by their age and power in tiers, from 1 to 6. Tier 2 was Lesser Spirits, human ghosts that remained behind. However, Lesser Spirits, unlike Ghosts, had no ability to touch or interact with the world around them; no supernatural powers either besides flight and body projection. Any ghosts that were Tier 2 would be no issue for her to examine on her own. A low-level ghost bust was exactly what she needed to blow off some steam and clear her head. It was unusual that the advertiser had left out the HSL, or the high-end level warning, but it was more than likely just amateur error. She punched the coordinates into the GPS and revved the engine on. Mystery pawed at Vivi from the passenger seat and whined in protest. Vivi scratched him behind the ears as she told him, "Don't worry, Mystery. This is going to be an easy run, just you wait and see. I just need to get some stress out of my system, and then I can focus on finding Arthur and getting him to tell us what happened over at the…" she stopped as she was about to finish her sentence, then checked the address of the job again.

It was the Childswood place, the same mansion where Vivi, Arthur, and Mystery had faced that fiery ghost and almost been burned to a crisp. Someone needed help _there?_ This was starting to get strange. She couldn't go back there on her own, could she? There was a chance that ghost was still there, and would still be angry at the three of them. But then, Arthur seemed to know that ghost, and more importantly, that ghost seemed to know her. Vivi knew better at this point than to try to push for memories that wouldn't come on their own. But if there was any place that would offer answers in this town besides Arthur himself, it would be there. Besides, she _had_ already sent a comment accepting the job. Oh well, no turning back now. Determined to find the truth, Vivi shifted into drive and sped away from Lance's shop, towards the edge of town.

Eventually, Vivi arrived at the mansion, just as she had left it. The entrance hall was still vaporized, but other than that, the building looked relatively stable. Parking the van, she reached into her phone and called the number on the advertisement, to tell the customer that she had arrived and what he or she wanted Vivi to look for. Vivi was greeted instead by the dial tone and an automated message stating that the phone number dialed did not exist. _Maybe I dialed the number wrong?_ She dialed again, but received the same response. _Okay, this is getting really weird,_ Vivi thought. She looked over at Mystery, who was still tentatively exchanging glances between her and the ruined mansion. She sighed, grabbed Mystery's leash, and said to Mystery, "Well, we're already here. We might as well do some looking around."

They walked past where the front door would be-if it was still standing-and started looking around near the double staircase that stood beyond the ruined entrance hall. As she and Mystery searched the building, Vivi reached up to her glasses and tapped a button in the frame. Immediately, the glasses flashed as the scanners in the lenses began searching for any signs of ecto-plasmic residue, a sign of ghost activity. The glasses she wore were one of her favorite ghost-hunting tools; Arthur had given them to her as a birthday present after he had accidentally broken her original pair once in his workshop. That was Arthur for you, always thinking about his friends.

So why was he being so evasive, then?

More than she was angry, Vivi was just frustrated, and confused. She liked for there to be an answer for everything, even if it wasn't as "logical" as Arthur would have liked it to be. Everything had a place in the world, and as an investigator, it was her job to analyze those things that people didn't understand and help find a place for them, even if it was into the afterlife. Arthur would never look at it that way: he saw things like a machine, every cog and gear functioning in harmony with one another, or the machine would break. There was no room in his world of science for magic of any kind. He had even rationalized ghosts to an extent, although there were always holes in his theories. Vivi had always loved teasing him about his ideas, and when he couldn't explain one of them, he would get tongue-tied and stomp to the van in a huff.

Maybe seeing that ghost here had done more damage to him than she had first thought. Maybe she should…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a bang from the floor at the top of the staircase. Mystery growled and bristled at the noise, but Vivi ran forward, looking to see what it was that had caused the disturbance. Vivi wasn't sure that this was exactly wise, but she wasn't feeling very rational right about now. The excitement of the chase was on her, and once that set in, she was a freight train in motion; nothing could stop her. She burst through the double doors to look and find the noise and saw the tail end of a ghost disappearing around the corner. She started running at top speed, her only thought to catch the ghost and find the others like it. As she rounded another corner of the hallway, she saw a flash of pink, long and slender, ribbonlike, trailing through the hallway. It was one of the ghosts that had greeted her during the first encounter here. She stuffed her hand into her purse as she ran, reaching for another of her hunting gadgets that she kept with her, until the same thin ghost that she had trailed after came to an abrupt stop at the end of the hallway and turned around to face her. Vivi skidded to a stop, not wanting to collide. Mystery, hot on her heels, continued running, leaped up and tackled the ghost, which screeched at his attack. Vivi recovered from her momentary confusion by grabbing Mystery by the collar and saying, "Mystery, stop! Down! He's not trying to hurt us, he's…he's…"

She stopped and looked quizzically at the ghost, which was now encircling her lazily. "What _were_ you trying to do, anyway?" She reached forward to touch it, and it snuggled its head under her palm, emitting a strange noise that sounded like a cross between a purr and a musical note. It then looked up at her with baleful yellow eyes, flying out towards the door at the end of the hallway. It wrapped itself around the doorknob, patting the knob with small clawed hands. Vivi asked it, "You want me to see what's through here?" It replied with another musical note, this one clear and excited, as it nodded. Carefully, Vivi reached for the doorknob and quietly pushed it open.

The hallway widened out into a large room, easily big enough to hold the Pepper's ballroom in. It was dark, but lit with dim pink torches which hung from columns that lined the room. Vivi's new guide gently grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward like a child. Its ribbon body spiraled away from her as she started walking, resting at points until she would reach it, then floating up and darting away to a new resting spot. She followed it deeper into the room, and as she did, she noticed that Mystery was staring out at something in the dark. What he saw was more ghosts, following alongside Vivi and Mystery. They all looked similar to the ghost leading the two, but Vivi noticed a difference in the last time they had seen them. The mark upon their chests, a heart once bright and glowing, was now dim and somber. Vivi and Mystery followed the little ghost until they came to stop in the center of the room. Here, there was a throne, surrounded by four lit braziers, and encircled by dozens of the small ghosts. Lying on the throne was something that Vivi recognized.

Vivi rushed forward and saw, lying in the throne, underneath the guide ghost, was the heart pendant. The one that had belonged to the Fiery Ghost that had attacked them. The same pendant that was emblazoned on all of these smaller ghosts. Vivi turned to Mystery and said, "I think we're onto something big here, boy." Mystery did not reply, too busy eyeing the circling ghosts warily. She gingerly picked up the pendant, running her fingers across the cracks running down its sides. She looked up at the ghost perched on the throne, which was giving her the same sad look as the others.

 _Okay, you've brought me here, and shown me this…thing. Now what?_

She looked back for advice from Mystery, who was still not too happy about their new acquaintances. He started barking at two spirits who came too close to Vivi, chasing them away. They darted away from Mystery wherever he bounded to in the room, screeching cacophanies behind them. The small throne ghost squawked and gave Mystery a sour look, one that he returned with a snarl and exposed canines. "Be nice, you. They're harmless, they can't do anything to us," Vivi called back at Mystery, annoyed that he was getting so skittish. She returned her attention to the pendant heart, which she turned over in her hands. As she did, her fingers pressed into one side of the pendant, and she heard a _click_. For a moment, she was afraid that she had damaged it even more, but then she realized that it wasn't breaking.

It was opening.

Slowly, the heart pendant— no, the heart _locket_ — swung open. And what Vivi saw nearly made her own heart stop beating.

It was a picture of her. She was with a young man, about her age by the way he looked. He was holding her, and she was laughing. Why did he look familiar? She definitely recognized him; the suit, the face and his pink —

—no. No way. _No way._ Was this — Could this be —

And then pain, pain, pain, as Vivi felt the headaches grab hold of her skull again. The blood roared in her ears, and she heard Mystery bark in panic towards her, as well as the ghosts screech louder.

No. Not when she was this close. She was going to piece through this, if it killed her. This guy…Vivi and he were… _together?_

Things were fuzzy, and the pulse didn't help, but with the locket's help, she painfully, _painfully_ remembered a guy with her and Arthur during the night at the cave. The guy had…oh, God.

Mystery was growling and barking louder, and his back was raised and bristling. The ghosts were swirling more rapidly around Mystery than they were around the throne now. Were his eyes…glowing? Vivi wrested her attention back to the memory before she lost it.

The guy had fallen, and died on the rocks. Arthur had lost his arm to _something,_ because when she ran up to grab him to get help his arm was _gushing blood because it wasn't an arm anymore, it was a shoulder and a stump._ And her dog…her dog wasn't a dog. She didn't know what her dog was in that memory, but it was big and **IT WAS NOT A DOG**.

It had swallowed Arthur's arm, ripped it clean out of its socket. That thing had tried to kill Arthur. Was there more? Vivi couldn't tell; the throbbing was so bad that it was making it hard to see or think now. This is as much as she would get in terms of answers here, but now, more than anything, she needed to get away from Mystery. Why had it stayed so long around her? Was it saving her for another meal? She wasn't sure, but whatever kind of monster ripped off her best friend's arm, she certainly didn't trust it.

Carefully, she looked at Mystery, who was being distracted by all of the ghosts surrounding him. Slowly, she put the locket in her purse, stood, and edged towards the door while he growled at the spirits. The small ghost that had led her here flew alongside her, fearfully watching the dog. Unfortunately, Mystery chose that moment to look at the throne and see Vivi wasn't there anymore.

"M-Mystery?"

He whirled around, saw the small ghost and Vivi leaving, and roared.

Not _barked_ , not _howled_ , but _ROARED_.

His eyes glowed like burning stars, and his body darkened to the tint of obsidian. His body grew large, fierce, and wolflike. He sprouted multiple tails, too many for Vivi to count. Vivi tapped the scanner in her glasses again as she grasped and scrabbled for the doorknob behind her. The readout marked Mystery as a Tier 5 spirit. Vivi couldn't breathe.

Tier 5 spirits, or 'Fivers', were the stuff of myth. They were known of, but rarely seen, their powers reached the near-divine, and they could be very good —- or very, very evil. Vivi decided that she didn't want to stick around and find out.

Eventually finding the doorknob, Vivi ran, full tilt, down the hallway, hearing wood crunching behind her. Not wanting to see what her former pet was doing to the mansion behind her, she put every bit of her strength into her legs to propel her forward. The small ghost dragged her forward as much as it could, making the hallways and paintings blur with their speed, but the crunching-of-wood noise was getting very close, very fast. Mystery was gaining, and he was nearly upon them. Looking behind them, the small ghost screeched and yanked on her arm harder. Vivi felt her legs touch the ground less as the ghost, which had wrapped its tail around her arm, pulled her forward. At last, they burst through one final door and reached the grand staircase that was before the ruined entrance hall.

 _Come on, come on, we're almost there!_

As Vivi thought this, she heard the wall explode behind her, and Mystery's roar load and clear. The ghost, terrified, pulled Vivi forward, and she lost her balance and fell, over the stairs.

At first, Vivi thought she was falling. Then she realized, she _was_ falling, but the ghost was carrying her down and slowing her descent, pulling her forward. She landed far past the stairs, and rolled as she hit the ground. Without pausing to look behind her, she grabbed the ghost, who was lying on the ground, exhausted, dashed to the van, started it, and practically flew down the old, dusty road.

Vivi left the old mansion in the dust faster than she had ever left a job spot before, with a ghost in her passenger seat where her dog had once been, and her dog, now a terrifying monster, howling in her wake.


	8. Chapter 7: Motel

Arthur remembered now why he hated the outdoors. Because it was all AWFUL. There was nowhere to sit, or to work on an idea for a new gadget, or really anything for that matter. So far his day had revolved around walking, sitting for lunch, walking some more, sitting down for dinner, and then — guess what— _more walking._ Arthur found a spot to sit down and collapsed on the side of the road, out of more frustration than exhaustion. He should have grabbed the van before he left, or at least some kind of vehicle with wheels. At least then he wouldn't have to trudge through every single hill and valley in the entire area. He sat up, looking at the evening sky, and let out an exasperated yell. If this was getting away from it all, Arthur was fairly sure he was ready to get back to "it all", problems and everything.

Arthur was getting ready to stop and get ready for a cold night's sleep outside, when he caught a glimpse of a glow of lights over the next hill in the dying evening light. Arthur slowly got up and followed the light to find a small, old roadside motel on the other side. _Well, at least I'll have a bed to sleep on tonight_ , he thought to himself, as he walked down to his last stop for the night. He walked up to the front door, through and into the lobby, and bought a bed for the night. The old man at the front desk gave him an odd grin when he said "stay the night". A bit strange, but nothing to get concerned over…hopefully. Arthur would just make sure he hid his valuables well and lock his door before he went to bed.

What the snaggletoothed old fossil failed to mention was that the rooms weren't exactly _hygienic_. The mattress was a bare one, and the windows were broken. Gingerly setting his backpack down in the cleanest corner of the small room, Arthur sat down and rubbed his eyes wearily. If Vivi could see him now, she'd most likely berate him for picking such an awful place to stay. Well, after she finished beating him to a bloody pulp for leaving in the first place.

What _was_ he out here for? He had never thought to figure out what it was he would actually do once he left town, he just sort of…left. Did he need to do something? Did he need to go somewhere? He wasn't sure. He was walking aimlessly, his only form of direction being the road that he was walking alongside. He scrubbed his hands through his hair, thinking about what he was doing. Did he even have the remotest form of a plan?

Of course he didn't. He just followed his whims, like he always did, or the whims of others. He didn't have a planning bone in his body. The only thing he could stand to sit and actually plan out was his machinery blueprints and sketches, and that was just so that nothing blew up in his face. What was he gonna do, have some mind-blowing revelation just by walking out into the middle of nowhere?

Well, it sounded a lot like it would happen that way in his head.

This was a dumb idea. He had only enough meals from the Peppers to last him about a week if he was careful, half a week if he wasn't. He sat for a bit, beating himself up, until a small flicker caught his eye. He looked out the motel window, which was facing a forest behind the motel. The woods were thick, but not so thick as to be unable to see through the some ways, and Arthur could have sworn he saw a bit of gold light through the dark greens and browns of the woods. It was too late in the day for it to be a reflection of sunlight, so what was that? Arthur moved over to the window to get a better look. At his prosthetic's touch, the window fell completely out of the window frame and shattered on the ground below. Arthur shrunk back from the shattered glass, cursing himself inwardly. He would probably have to pay for that before he left. Before he could beat himself up further, though, he saw the glimmer of gold again in the corner of his eyesight. He looked up sharply. _There it is again. What IS that?_ He looked at his backpack, gauging his options. Then, grabbing his backpack, he carefully stepped through the window frame and outside into the woods beyond. He pushed through the trees, looking in every direction to try to find the source of the light. He came to a large circular clearing, marked by trees that looked definitively older than all the others. They stretched higher than all the others, regally stretching their branches out beyond over the younger trees, almost protecting them. He searched well past when the last lights had faded behind the hills and until his flashlight began to flicker. Arthur's search was relatively fruitless, save finding some small animals in the younger trees, and some beautiful golden flowers in the clearing. Exasperated, he gave up and headed back to the motel.

At least he would have, if he didn't trip on a root and careen face-first into the largest tree trunk there. He hit his head, hard, and slumped, against the thick trunk and roots of the tree.

Then the dream came for him again.

Falling,

Falling,

Falling,

Falling, into mirrors and lakes

Stone meets flesh

Pierces

Breaks in unintended vengeance

Villains are heroes in torment

Sacrifices must be made

Cycles return

Memory rebounds

And the world is cleansed

Or is it

 ** _PURGED_**

Arthur jolted up, waking to cold night air and dew from the grass beneath him soaking his clothes. Shivering, Arthur sat against the tree, rubbing his head. _I'll be lucky not to have a concussion, the way I hit that tree._ _That one's gonna be a goose-egg in the morning,_ he thought to himself. He started to brace himself to stand, but as he did, his hand brushed something that wasn't a discarded leaf. He looked down, and saw something that surprised him. There, next to where his palm had lain, was a small crystal, clear and roughly cut. It was about the size of his thumb, perhaps a bit bigger, and it was attached to a leather string. A necklace of some sort? Arthur wasn't sure.

 _Was this the thing that caught my eye before?_ It didn't look big enough or polished enough to send a reflection that strong at him with dying sunlight alone. Arthur wanted to examine it more, but as he examined the crystal, his head throbbed again, most likely from the lump that was starting to form on his skull. Arthur gently felt the impact spot, then used the tree to help him stand up. He put the necklace in his pocket before trudging back to his room and flopping inelegantly upon the mattress, not caring anymore about its state of cleanliness. He lay there, dreamless, until the morning.


	9. Chapter 8: Lessons Learned

**(2 months after Lewis' death)**

Lewis stood, his arms outstretched, palms facing upwards. He was focused intensely on his palms, concentrating on summoning fire from them. So far, he only seemed to be able to summon fire when he was emotionally distressed. Mauta watched across from him, seated on a rock. She watched him passively, her near-flawless features displaying no emotion past pensive observation. He felt his irritation rising as minutes passed in concentration, but no results came from it. He could feel the fire brimming under his fingertips, but he had no way to channel it outwards. Angered, he kicked his foot at some pebbles nearby. In response, a small fireball appeared near his foot and was launched by his kick. It flew off into another part of the cave and hit a large boulder, leaving a sizable crack behind.

"Oh, so NOW you start to work!", Lewis yelled at his hands. "Of all the stupid, no-good…"

"Lewis."

Mauta's voice had a gentle, yet commanding tone to it. Lewis sighed, chastised, and said, "I know." She was right, despite not having said anything. He knew what she wanted. Getting frustrated and throwing a tantrum would solve nothing. He just wanted to figure out how to control his powers. He was an impatient guy, and hated to sit too long doing any one thing. This shouldn't be as difficult as it was turning out to be, should it? He could summon fire all the time by accident, why was it so hard to summon it when he _wanted_ it to appear?

Mauta stood from her meditation position and said, "We have been practicing for some time now. Go outside and clear your mind. We shall return to this afterward."

Lewis was about to protest, but before he could, Mauta leaped up and vanished into the emerald gleam of the cave. Still grumpy about his inability to use his powers well, Lewis floated upwards to the entrance of the cave and out into the night. He had learned to fly well in the past two months since his death, and he had learned some of his power over memory.

Lewis flew high over the night-time cityscape, deep in thought. He still remembered that night when everything had gone wrong vividly. The night he had…died. It's funny, how it was still difficult to admit it. That he was dead. That his former best friend had killed him. And he was still closer to finding out why. He had half a mind to search the answers out on his own, but Mauta said that if he wanted her help, he would have to play by her rules for now, and that meant as little interference with the human world as possible until he had mastered his abilities. But now, despite Mauta's warnings of how long it might take for him to fully master his powers, he was starting to get a bit restless. He had basically sat in a cave for the past two months, doing nothing but try to summon fire from his hands and learn new ways to fly. He wanted to learn faster, there had to be a way…

And then he got an idea. He rushed away to the site of an old battlefield, not far from Mauta's cave. If Mauta couldn't help him push through his block, maybe some experience fighting some other spirits would. Experience in the field trumps classroom lessons, right? On his way, however, he had some doubts as he flew to his destination.

 _Won't Mauta be angry when she finds out?_

Probably, but likely less so if I manage to learn how to summon fire on my own. Besides, I don't really care what Mauta thinks right now. We've been doing things for months her way and no breakthroughs since day one.

 _You probably shouldn't be disturbing old grave sites. It's disrespectful._

Yeah, but let's be honest; the spirits here don't care about respect, Mauta says they _exist_ for conflict, that they only stay around because they want to fight again. So, really, I'm doing them a favor by coming here.

 _That's a lie and you know it_.

Lewis sighed. Sometimes, his conscience could be a real nag.

He touched down at what was now a verdant plain, dimly lit by moon and star. A lone oak tree, strong and green, dominated a lone hill on what was otherwise a mostly featureless landscape. In the distance, a forest could be seen, but Lewis wasn't here for the scenery. Mauta said that once before, in an age long past, this spot had been the location for a great battle, and that the crumbling bones of those who had fallen still lingered here, waiting to be summoned forth. Lewis sat down, cross legged, and began concentrating in the way that Mauta had taught him to. He would make his presence known to the other ghosts here, and they would be drawn to his energy. It was an ability that he seemed to have a bit of a knack for. _One of the few things she taught me that actually_ works _…_

Before his annoyance at both himself and Mauta could resurface any further, though, he felt the presence that Mauta had told him to look for. It was like a shimmering in the air, a crackling energy, and then a sudden **thud**. The spirits were waking.

Lewis squared his shoulders, but inside, he felt as though he _may_ have gotten in a bit over his head. He could sense the power of the spirits as they were rising from the earth, ripping the ground beneath him, and they were _much_ stronger than he had thought they would be.

Five spirits, knitted together from bone and earth, surfaced above ground, hollow eyesockets glowing with red orbs that burned with mindless hatred. Their weapons, clubs, axes, and blades, were fused to their arms, an extension of their bodies. They were just as fearsome as Mauta had described, perhaps even more so. Lewis began to shakily introduce himself in the way that Mauta had instructed, but before he could begin, he noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Quick as thought, he darted in flight to the left as the leading ghost slammed his mace into the earth, leaving a crater where Lewis had stood. Realizing that there would be no time for introductions, let alone an explanation, Lewis sunk to the ground, readying himself.

He dodged, dodged again, all the while constantly trying to call fire to his hands. Nothing happened, not so much as a spark between his fingers. Meanwhile, the ghosts, who were NOT happy about being awoken, were getting faster in their crushing blows. They were old ghosts, and powerful, much more so than Lewis, whose only saving grace was their slowed, groggy movements from having slept for so long. However, that handicap was quickly vanishing, and Lewis knew it. He shouldn't have tried this. It was a fool's errand, one that would probably end in his spirit fading away. Panicking, Lewis started to fly away. If he could escape, maybe the ghosts would go back to sleep and leave him be. Lewis flew as quickly as he could, past the tree and towards the forest. The only problem was, the old warrior spirits followed him. Great. Perfect. Now Lewis was probably going to die all over again, except this time, it was his own fault.

Could a ghost die? Lewis didn't know. Mauta hadn't told him anything about it yet, but he figured that they probably did, if their anchors were destroyed. Vivi would know. She always knew what needed to be done, either on a bust or at home. He missed her. He missed her dearly. Was she thinking about him? Did she care? The last time he had seen her, she was running away from his corpse. Not exactly a positive memor—

Distracted, Lewis was caught off guard by the lead ghost, who swung his mace horizontally, sweeping Lewis' feet out from under him. Lewis landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. _I still don't get that, how can the air get knocked out of me if I don't have lungs?_ As he rolled out of the way, he scolded himself, thinking, _Idiot! Why didn't I listen to Mauta before? She told me to stay away from here for a reason, and now I'm probably going to die AGAIN, all because I wouldn't listen to –_

Mauta. That's it. She was more than capable of handling these spirits, with three arms tied behind her back. With that thought, he put on an extra burst of speed, rushing through the air swifter that the winds. The old ghosts, rapidly catching up, had begun swinging their massive weapon-appendages at him again, cleaving trees in single strikes and carving the land with their blows. Eventually, Mauta's cave came in sight, and Lewis felt a rush of relief as he approached.

However, as he reached the mouth of the cave, he slowed down in his untimely joy, and the lead ghost managed to land a hit on him. His mace struck the young ghost in the back, sending him flying forward, and down into the gravel pits of the cave.

Lewis landed, hard, on the rough floor of the cave, and instinctively grasped his chest in a panic. _Still here. Still whole._ Lewis tried to calm himself, reassuring himself that he wasn't dying, he wasn't impaled all over again, but the thoughts of trauma wouldn't go away, despite his best efforts. He normally wasn't like this, but every now and again, the fear would come creeping up on him and pounce, leaving him incapacitated. Times like now, as inopportune as they were.

The five ghosts, eyes glowing angrier than ever, approached the cornered Lewis, who scrabbled backwards on his back. Lewis felt his back bump the wall, and knew that there was no place to run. Giving up, Lewis closed his eyes as the lead spirit raised his mace for a crushing blow.

Just then, there was a flash of green, a _snick,_ and the furthest ghost from Lewis crumbled to the floor, disintegrating to dust. Standing among the warrior ghosts, to Lewis' excited relief, was Mauta.

The other four turned to look at their fallen comrade, and then turned to encircle the cave Prescence. Mauta smirked and took a crouching dance position. One of the ghosts groaned at her, a menacing, grinding sound, and swung his sword at her. With perfect timing, Mauta leaped upwards, spun in the air, and begun her assault on the spirits.

Lewis had never seen anything like it. Her form was fluid, limber, yet harsh and deadly. It was a dance of death, war perfected to an art. Lewis watched as she pirouetted and leaped nimbly around, and realized that he should pay close attention, for something like this he was unlikely to see ever again. Mauta danced around one ghost, graceful footwork matched only by the ferocity of her punches and kicks. Spinning, she kicked her leg out behind her, bringing a ghost to its knees, and fluidly flipped onto its shoulders in a handstand. Deftly, she spun her body weight, turning around completely in midair, and twisted the ghost's decaying head from its torso.

Lewis watched as she continued on to the other spirits. They fell in similar fashion, crumbling before Mauta's impressive, unorthodox, beautiful display of physicality. They weren't even partners in this dance of hers, they were props; Mauta was _toying_ them to death. Lewis watched with a newfound awe and admiration of this spirit who had agreed to teach him about the supernatural world. And as he felt this, he also felt a pang of regret for refusing to listen before. Mauta's macabre medley wasn't over yet, though, as she finally approached the last ghost, the leader. Lewis could tell all of the spirits that he had seen tonight had lost their wits to the ages, but after seeing Mauta slay its comrades, Lewis thought he saw not anger, but a spark of respect in the warrior's otherwise dead eyes. It lumbered forward, slamming the ground with its mace, and Mauta began…spinning in place.

At first, Lewis thought that Mauta was planning another brilliant counterattack, like how she had dispatched the other four. Instead, she continued gently turning on the tips of her toes. "M-Mauta?" Lewis called out. "Mauta, there— there's still one left…"

Mauta didn't respond. Instead, she finished turning, and daintily sat, cross-legged, on the floor, eyes closed.

"Mauta?!" Lewis was starting to get nervous. Had she hurt herself during the fight? _Could_ she get hurt, even? she wasn't reacting even to the _thwomps_ of the warrior ghosts's mace slamming the stalagmites to his sides. He stumbled, ever closer, until Lewis could see its breath ruffling Mauta's long, silvery-white hair. Lewis was standing up now, he started to panic. His teacher, his _friend_ was about to be crushed, and she was doing nothing about it. He started running, then flying towards her, but he was too slow to start moving; he knew he wouldn't make it in time The ghost raised its club, preparing for a crushing strike. Lewis futilely stretched out his arms, and…

And felt heat. Strong, intense heat. Confused at first, but not stopping to question, Lewis felt the heat fly to his outstretched palms and shoot forth, a blistering fireball erupting from his hands. The ghost turned to look, saw what was coming, tried to move, but was too slow, and was hit. The blast knocked the spirit sideways, and it fell, unmoving, to the ground. Lewis watched, stunned, as it slowly evaporated into ash.

He had done it. He had actually done it. It had taken months, and his efforts had nearly gotten him killed again, but he had done it.

Mauta, who had stayed immobile for so long, finally opened her eyes. Lewis had never been so relieved to see black sclera and poison-green irises in his whole afterlife. Standing up, she looked at the smoking, disintegrating remains, and stooped in a formal dancer's curtsy. She then turned to Lewis, dusting rubble off her knotted arm. With a face that could have been set from stone, she said harshly: "I am disappointed, Lewis. Very. You took my lessons and used them to violate sacred resting places, and disturbed spirits whose greatest wish, beyond fighting, is to vanish in peace, to –"

"–disappear?" Lewis added, tentatively. Lewis felt fairly certain that if he wasn't dead already, the look that Mauta gave him would kill. "How did you know that I was fighting those spirits? I didn't tell you where I was…"

"Lewis, one of the first things you should have known about me, is that I am a Prescence, and a very old one at that. I may not be able to leave my cage, but I can certainly see through the bars when I wish. It wasn't much trouble to deduce what you were attempting, either."

Lewis wanted to say and ask so much, how sorry he was, how excited he was, in spite of everything, that he had broken through his block and could use fire now. Instead, he started with holding out his palm, showing Mauta the flickering embers dancing on his fingertips. "I–I figured out the block, thanks to you. Th-Thanks for that. Did…"

Lewis paused, Mauta waiting expectantly for him to figure it out. "Did you plan for this to happen? You were ready to fight when I got to the cave. Did you _know_ I was going to try something like this?"

Mauta gave him an amused look, and said, "No. But I did see an ample opportunity for you to learn something, and I must say," and with this she gave him a true smile, "in that, you did not disappoint me at all."

Lewis looked at the ground, but he did feel happy that she was proud of him, despite his near-fatal errors. Maybe this whole being-dead thing wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be. Lewis looked back up at Mauta, and with a renewed confidence, he asked her, "So, fire's off the checklist. What's next?"


	10. Chapter 9: Research

Vivi was okay. At least, that was what she was telling herself, over and over again. _You're okay, you're okay, you're safe now._ No matter how many times she thought it, though, it didn't help. She wasn't taking the news very well that her boyfriend, who was now a furious, flame-spitting ghost, had died because of some accident in a cave. Not only that, but now, said boyfriend, who she didn't even REMEMBER that well, was chasing after her best friend for who-knows-what-reasons, and wanted to kill him.

Oh, and her pet dog was actually some kind of demonic wolf-fox and had tried to eat her just ten minutes ago. So, overall, not a great day for Vivi.

Vivi, after driving with her pedal foot to the floor and her eyes on the rear view mirror for half of the trip back into town, finally felt safe enough to glance down at the little ghost coiled up in the passenger seat. It was asleep, purring in its musical way, using Vivi's purse as a pillow. "And what am I supposed to do with you now?" she asked the ghost rhetorically. Looking back at the road, she did her best to focus. She couldn't go back to the mansion, that much was certain. But, then, could she go home? Mystery knew where she lived, and he wasn't likely to stick around at the mansion; one thing she knew about that dog, there was no stopping him when he was hungry. What could she do? She had nowhere to go, except maybe the Tome Tomb, and even that wasn't really –

Wait. Maybe that was her answer. Duet, her boss, LOVED collecting ancient texts about the supernatural. He was also probably the only one in the city, besides Arthur, who would believe that her dog had turned into a giant demon. Duet could probably tell her what Mystery was, and how to avoid him. Maybe she'd find a way to find Arthur while she was there, too. The small ghost, disturbed by a bump in the road, opened its eyes sleepily, and murmured an inquisitive _yawp_ in Vivi's direction.

"Hey, little guy. Don't worry, we're going to see some friends of mine," Vivi told the spirit, rubbing its head again. The little ghost purred again, leaning on Vivi's purse to get closer. However, the purse snapped oven, and the ghost tumbled inside. Vivi, who was watching the road, could only watch with a sideways glance and a giggle, as she said, "You alright?" In response, the little ghost's head popped up out of the purse's opening, a book of Latin perched on its head like a roof. Vivi laughed again as the spirit cocked its head at her voice, setting the book at an amusing tilt.

Getting over her laughter fit, Vivi said to the ghost, "You know, I still need a name for you. What should I call you?" All she got in response was another _yawp_. "Well, 'yawp' isn't exactly a name. It should be something catchy, something that fits…" Vivi always named things by the way she reacted with them. Mystery had gotten his name thanks to the mysterious circumstances of how she found him. He had appeared, suddenly, while Vivi and her parents had been out for the day in the park. Vivi's parents tried to find the owner, but found no one who claimed a dog by his description. At Vivi's insistent begging, he had become a part of the family, and they had remained inseparable ever since. Until now, anyway…

But before Vivi could sink back into her funk, the small ghost had managed to climb out of her purse, the Latin book still balanced on its head. It had managed to clamber up onto the dashboard, only to fall off when Vivi approached a red light, sending both it and the Latin book tumbling. Laughing again, Vivi stopped when she saw the name on the Latin book: _Vox Latinae Populi._

"That's it!" Vivi cried, getting another curious look from the small ghost. She continued on, saying, "That's your name!" she said triumphantly, pointing to the words on the cover.

"Vox!"

The small ghost looked at the book, then back to Vivi, then at the book again. "Well, do you like it?" Vivi asked. The ghost turned back to her, opened his maw in a toothy smile, and gave an excited trumpet in his joy. Vivi smiled at the newly christened ghost, and returned her attention to the road, pulling off to a store on the right. It was decorated in black, with macabre images and symbols covering the walls. In neon blue, the words "Tome Tomb" could be made out on a sign hung over the double doors. Vivi parked the van and grabbed her purse, with Vox still inside it, peeking out of the opening in the bag.

She pushed open the double doors, and an automated, haunting jingle beeped as she did so. Behind the checkout desk, a man was facing away, looking down, his long raven hair ending in starkly bright colored highlights. Hearing the tune of the door opening, he spread his arms to either side, and said in a dramatic voice as he turned, "Seeker of the occult, be welcome." Then, when he was finally facing Vivi, he opened his eyes and saw who it was.

"Oh, Vivi, it's you." With that, he dropped his arms to his sides, and casually walked out from behind the cashier stand, losing his dramatic inflection. "If you're looking for some extra hours, I think I have some shelves that need restocking."

Vivi shook her head, always amused by Duet's dramatism. If the man wasn't so set on all things supernatural, he could have been an actor. "Sorry, Duet, I don't have time for overtime today. I need a favor."

Duet's eyes widened slightly under his long, slightly greasy bangs, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile. "What kind of favor?"

"I need some help identifying a spirit. Also, if you have anything on how to find a missing person, that would be _great_."

"Missing person? Nothing I should be worried about, I hope?"

"Oh, I'm sure that it's nothing. Arthur left his uncle's house a couple days ago and he hasn't come back yet. He isn't returning my calls either. Arthur's a smart guy, Duet, I know that he can't be in any real trouble."

Duet made an unconvinced face. "I see. Well, I don't know about your missing friend, but an unknown spirit? I KNOW I can help you there." He walked to a door marked "Employees only" and returned with a large, old book. He set it down gently on the register counter and said to Vivi, "Well, Vivi, if your elusive spirit is one that's been recorded at all during history, it should be in here." Vivi thanked him, and then turned to open the book. Duet suddenly looked sharply at her, and Vivi gave him a quizzical look. Duet slowly raised his arm and pointed at her purse. Quietly, he said to her, "Vivi. Dear. It appears to me that you have a straggler from your last bust." Vivi looked down at her purse to see Vox peeking out at the book. Seeing Duet's pointing finger, the little ghost spiraled out of Vivi's purse and around Duet, eliciting a high squeal from Duet that Vivi didn't think his voice was capable of reaching.

Intervening, Vivi quickly said "Oh, sorry, sorry! Duet, this little guy helped me escape from the spirit chasing me."

"Vox," Vivi said, turning to the ghost encircling her frightened boss, "This is Duet. He's a friend. BE NICE." Vox turned to face the man staring up at him and chirped merrily, giving him a snuggle with his ribbon body. Duet, who fared better in supernatural theory than practice, tentatively petted the ghost, watching its movements for any sign of aggression. With introductions settled, Vivi returned her attention to the book, with Vox peering over her shoulder. While she read, Duet asked her, "So Vivi, what exactly _is_ this spirit that you're looking for? You're not usually one to not know what ghosts are which."

"It's a Fiver, Duet. It got the jump on me while I was investigating a house just outside of town."

"A Greater Spirit?" Duet was suddenly much more interested, his fear from meeting Vox all but gone. "What did he look like? Did he have a natural body like they say? I've always wanted to find out how an organic body can manage to hold such magical power without augmentation or total reconstruction. Do you think that he…"

While Duet began to excitedly babble on, Vivi tuned him out and turned towards the massive index of the book. It was old, so it likely wouldn't have the modern classification of Spirits that she usually relied upon. Fortunately, every description came with an illustration, and eventually, Vivi found what she was looking for.

The hand-drawn image was a fearful one, and it certainly matched what Vivi had witnessed in the Childswood Mansion. The drawing, of an obsidian-black beast with many tails, was of a kitsune. Vivi could have guessed that much, she knew Japanese mythology, but she wanted specifics. She read on, skimming through whole passages depicting the vast powers of a kitsune, how they fed on the flesh of humans, their shapeshifting abilities. None of it was relatively helpful. It talked in detail about what made them strong, but almost nothing spoke on what made them weak. There was something very vague hinted at about "an energy reserve depleted", but the old tome didn't continue any further.

Duet looked at the image that Vivi had turned to, and stopped speaking dead in his tracks. "Wait, Vivi, THAT's what you saw in your investigation?"

"It looks pretty cool, if you ask me!"

Duet and Vivi both looked up to see a girl dressed in green robes, her wide eyes and face obscured by a hood. Vivi sighed. Chloe was always excited about this sort of thing. Vivi was, too, of course, but Vivi's love of the supernatural came from a love of learning. Chloe mostly wanted to…what was it she always said? 'Find me an undead boyfriend?' Vivi was convinced that Duet had had her working too long in the 'Young Adults Fantasy' section. Chloe was always begging to tag along on a ghost hunt, but Vivi had told her that she needed some time to grow up a little more first.

"Chloe, it's not 'pretty cool', this spirit just tried to eat me earlier today. I need to find a way to keep it from catching up to me."

"Um, I don't know if that's going to work, Viv."

"And why is that, Chloe?" Vivi had returned to the book, eyes focused on her task.

"Well, I'm just guessing, here, but does it have a lot of tails, like in the picture?"

"Yes, Chloe."

"And does it kinda look like a mix between a wolf and a fox, like in the picture?"

"YES, Chloe."

"And does it kinda look a little like your dog?"

" **YES CHL –** " Vivi stopped and looked up, confused. "Wait, how did you know that it looks like my dog?"

"Because it's standing outside the doors right now." Chloe pointed a billowy green sleeve towards the front entrance. Whirling around, Vivi saw what she was talking about. There, waiting for her patiently outside, tails blowing in the wind, was Mystery.

Freezing, Vivi couldn't bring herself to break eye contact with the spirit. Edging slowly to Duet, she said quietly, "Duet, take Chloe and go hide in the back. I'm the one he wants." Nervously nodding, Duet grabbed Chloe by the arm and scooted out into the back room. Watching them leave, Vivi sighed with relief. She turned back around…

And Mystery was inside, not five feet away from her.

Startled, Vivi bumped into the cashier table behind her as Mystery pawed silently forward. Vox, having had enough of being bullied by bigger spirits, encircled Vivi protectively, raising its claws and squawking discordantly at the kitsune. Mystery gave the little ghost an unimpressed look, and growled in response, making the whole shop vibrate. Frightened, Vox rushed inside of Vivi's purse, shaking the bag with his quivering. Looking up from the purse, Vivi turned and set her face against the spirit facing her. If Vox could be brave enough to stand up to Mystery, then so could she. Before she could say something defiant to him, though, Mystery opened his own mouth and said,

"Well, now you know what I am. This wasn't how I planned for you to find out. But now, it seems that I have some explaining to do."


	11. Chapter 10: The Cosmic Library

Arthur woke up later than he had planned to. _Much_ later. In fact, when he awoke, it was because the crusty old motel owner came pounding on the door, telling Arthur that his stay was over. He sat up, his typical spiky hair starting to lose its edge, and he shuffled to the door. Opening it, he saw the snaggletoothed old man waiting for him, looking even more ancient than he had last night.

"About time you woke up. This is the third time I've come around to your room. Breakfast comes with the room, it's just through here. Although I don't know if you'll be hungry, what with how long you slept."

Confused, Arthur checked his watch. He was surprised to see that it was already almost noon. _Dang, I really overslept, didn't I? It must have been that bump from last night…_

Arthur sat down at a table in the dining area, which was almost as worse for wear as the bedroom he had stayed in. No one else was here, and it made Arthur wonder: was anyone else here besides the two of them? Arthur asked the old man as much, and he replied, "There's been no business all week, until you came along."

Arthur looked back down at his food, eating what he could, and leaving what he didn't trust on his plate. As he got up, he thanked the old man and got ready to leave. If he could just get out the door before… "Just a moment, little man."

Arthur froze, cringing as he knew what was coming.

"There's the small matter of you staying an extra half day, not to mention the window you broke."

Arthur turned around, bracing himself internally as he said, "The window. Right. You see, the problem is, sir, I…well…"

"Broke?" Arthur looked up at the old man as he replied, rather quickly, and a lot less angry than Arthur had expected. Arthur nodded timidly, and added, "I'm willing to work it off, if that helps." The old man _harrumphed_ before he said, "That figures. Well, follow me, I'll find something for you to do to make up for what you owe me." Arthur followed him to another door behind the kitchen. What Arthur saw behind the door stunned him.

Beyond the door was a massive library, old yet opulent and, surprisingly, spotless. Arthur looked up, past the three floors of shelf after shelf, and saw the paintings lining the ceiling. They showed an image of two dancers, amongst the stars. One was in green, another in gold. They were dancing together, intimately, fluidly, as if they were one body. On either side of them, watching the dance, there was an observer. On the left, a man, dressed in blue and sable robes, a staff in one hand and book in the other. On the right, a woman, in pinks and reds, cradling a delicate lotus, as if it were her child.

Before Arthur could marvel at the artwork any further, though, he heard the old man's voice from somewhere in the library: "There's a pile of books that need dusting and sorting, if you want to start there." Arthur's eyes descended back down, but he looked around and saw no old man nearby. Eyes searching everywhere, he didn't notice the table in front of him until he walked right into it. Having set it to wobbling, Arthur quickly righted it before it fell over. No sense in causing any extra damage if he could help it, especially in such a beautiful place like this.

Arthur looked at some of the book covers as he put them away in the nearest shelf. Some of the books looked like they were new, while others looked like they were at least a few hundred years old. Arthur picked up one with a red cover, decorated in gold leaf and written in glyphs that he couldn't make heads or tails of. "Man, if Vivi could see this…" Arthur said to himself, as he continued sorting. He heard the old man's voice again, saying, "So who's this Vivi girl, anyway?"

"Hm?" Arthur looked around, but didn't see him, so he shrugged and said, "Oh, she's just a good friend from home."

"You mentioned her in your sleep. You're a loud sleep-talker, by the way."

"I did?" Arthur's face turned red. "What…did I say?"

"Something about lying, and how sorry you were."

Arthur stopped, mid-sort, and sighed. Yep, that sounded about right.

"Anyways," The old man continued, without waiting for him to respond, "where _is_ home for you, exactly? Are you on a trip, or something? This isn't exactly a tourist locale, if you know what I mean."

"Well, I'm…well…I'm just kind of wandering right now. There was a lot of junk happening at home, and, well, I needed to get away for a bit."

"Sounds to me like you're trying to run away from your problems."

"It's not like that!" Arthur protested, as he placed another book into the shelf.

"Oh, isn't it, now?" The old man's eye appeared on the other side of the shelf, scrutinizing Arthur intently. Arthur jumped as he saw the old guy staring at him, but then moved back to his pile quickly, scrambling his brain to change the subject.

"So, how did you afford a library like this?" Arthur asked as he stood back up to put another book away.

Nothing. Confused, Arthur rounded the corner, and the old man was gone.

Where did he go?

"You talked a lot in your sleep. Not just lying. You also kept talking about a guy named 'Lewis'. Who's he?"

Arthur's head snapped around, looking for the source of the voice. It was the old man, but he sounded…different. His voice sounded deeper, had a stronger gravitas.

Slowly, Arthur went back to sorting, crossing the hallway as he did so, to get closer to the voice.

"He…he was my best friend."

"Was?"

"Yeah, was. He's dead now."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the apologies to Miss 'Vivi' that you were crying about in your sleep, would it?"

Arthur stopped. How much had this guy heard last night?

"A little, I guess."

"You _guess_?" The voice was behind him now. "If you want your troubles to go away, son, you'd best learn to be a bit more honest."

Arthur was starting to get frustrated. It would be a lot easier to talk if he actually _knew_ where the old fart was.

"Okay, I've talked a lot about me. What about you?"

This time, the voice boomed out from the far end of the library: "Not until you're done with my books. And be careful, mind, some of those manuscripts are the only ones of their kind left."

Arthur started putting the books away while he ran, searching left and right for where the voice was. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. Why was this guy so interested in Arthur and his friends?

Arthur put the last book away, and then turned to face the end of the library. There was a desk, placed in front of ornate stained glass depicting constellations and other cosmic events. On the desk was a crystal set of the solar system, ticking in its orbits thanks to some hidden clockwork mechanism in the base.

The old man appeared behind the large chair, carrying two books in his wrinkled hands. One of them was the red and gold book that Arthur had put away minutes ago. The old man started to speak, saying in a sort of melancholy way: "I never understood life. It rushes towards the abyss with no destination, yet it struggles to preserve itself in the void. It's so complicated, so messy, so…chaotic."

Arthur, taken of guard, didn't know what to make of this, and just gave the old man a confused stare.

He continued, more to himself than Arthur, "Things are so much simpler when life isn't involved. Making order out of cosmic explosions takes eons, something I really should have the patience for by now. But the void? It has nothing to organize, no messes to clean up. I can understand why she thirsts for it so badly."

Arthur, still confused, said: "Sir, you're not making any sense. Do you need to sit down?"

"No sense, hmm? Well, don't worry. You'll understand soon enough."

The old man limped forward, grumbling under his breath '… _can't believe I'm doing this…'_

The old man pressed the old red and gold book into Arthur's hand. Bookmarking a page was a scrap of paper, with an edge of writing visible. Arthur started to open to the page, but the old man stopped his hand, saying: "No. This isn't a gift for you. This is for the girl. Consider this part of the payment for helping me."

"What?"

"Believe me, boy, you'll thank me later."

"You're still not making sense, speak normal!"

The old man turned abruptly, saying to Arthur's face, "I'm not speaking plain, hmm? Look who's talking! How do you think that poor girl feels? Not knowing anything what happened to either of her friends?" The old man backed up, staring Arthur down. Arthur, shame renewed, hung his head, running his free hand through his hair. Looking up, eyes on the edge of tears, he retorted, "Well, is that it? Just wanted to give me a book that's for someone else, and make me feel –"

He stopped as he opened his eyes, seeing that the old man was gone AGAIN. Growling in exasperation, Arthur shouted all around him, "STOP! DOING! THAT!"

 **"NO SHOUTING IN MY LIBRARY!"** Came the reply, thundering loud and clear through the building.

Arthur shielded himself behind his arms instinctively at the huge voice, but after it faded away, he heard another voice, this one much more tender and kind-spoken.

"If you wish to move forward, and not spend so much time kicking up dust in the middle of nowhere, then go to the mountain cave. What you find there won't make the journey easier, but it will help you."

Arthur futilely turned around one last time, then said, "What's in the mountain cave? And _where_ is the mountain?"

He stepped forward, then looked down as his foot collided with something on the floor. It was a compass, with a note attached. Arthur opened it, and it said, _the truth leads the way._

As he finished reading, he heard a creaking noise behind him. Two massive double doors opened from the spot he came in, and the day awaited him outside.

Staring at the note again, then looking at the door, Arthur crumbled up the note and jammed it in his pocket. He walked out the door, all the while grumbling, "Crazy old man."

Arthur grabbed his backpack from his room, then stomped outside without looking back. He reached the road, then turned while yelling, "And I hope you don't get any customers for a long time, ya—"

Arthur couldn't finish his sentence. The motel was gone. Arthur stopped dead in his tracks, blinking. He rubbed his eyes, then looked down at his hand. The compass was still there, so it couldn't have been a dream, could it? Arthur wasn't even sure. He stared numbly at the spot where the building had been, but then, looked down at the compass again. It was pointing southwest, down the road, towards…

…towards a lone mountain, dominating the horizon. Arthur gulped, but then thought about what the old man had said. Eventually making a decision, Arthur thought to himself, _'Well, daylight's burning.'_ With that, he adjusted his backpack, and headed down the road to his next destination.


	12. Chapter 11: Beloved

**(8 Months after Lewis' Death)**

"And that was how the empire of the Third Ancient passed completely from memory and into the void. Few remember them now, but those that do have quite the tale to tell." Mauta said, finishing her latest lesson to Lewis. As time went on, Mauta taught Lewis not only his powers and how to use them, but also about the supernatural world; its history, its famous members, and its battles. There were a lot of those, a lot more than Lewis had expected. But Mauta had shed light on a lot of things for Lewis. Vivi had always speculated on why Greater Spirits had a biological body that housed magic, but she had never figured it out. Man, if Vivi ever met Mauta, she would have a field day with Mauta and her knowledge!

That is, if she ever forgave Lewis for what he was planning. Even if Vivi somehow didn't know the truth, he was plotting revenge against her best friend, and his too. Former best friend, anyway. She might not take the knowledge well…but even so, he had to try. Vivi was friends with a murderer, and she didn't even know it. She would thank him later, even if it took her a while to come around.

"Lewis?" Lewis jerked back to attention from where he sat, Mauta giving him a quizzical look. Lewis apologized, running his hand through his flaring hair. Mauta smiled kindly at her pupil. "Thoughts on other places, are they? Or perhaps on other people?"

Lewis looked Mauta in the eye. "Are you sure you can't read minds? Because it's starting to freak me out how well you can read me sometimes."

Mauta laughed at Lewis' quip. Lewis, in the middle of getting up, paused momentarily, before laughing himself. In the past six months, he had been saved by this spirit, taught by her, and he thought that he had her personality pinned down. Sarcastic, wise, but always having a seriousness in how she carried herself, Lewis hadn't thought the ancient ghost was capable of laughter. It was a deep laugh, and actually somewhat infectious. It was nice to make her laugh. She had done so much for him, it made him happy to bring a smile to her face. What he felt for Mauta wasn't like how he felt for Vivi, of course. But he definitely cared for her, to the point where he was starting to consider her family.

Mauta finally ceased laughing, and Lewis calmed down too, before asking her: "Mauta?"

She returned her attention to him.

"There's something that's been bothering me for a while now. You told me when we first met, that you were imprisoned here. Who did that to you? How did it happen?"

Mauta's grin vanished, and she looked at Lewis somberly for a long while before replying.

"…I wasn't always like this, you know." She gestured at her body, her hand hovering over her withered limb. "I was once free, free from physical restraints. I was formless, bodiless, and carefree. I have never known such freedom before, and I likely never will again." Lewis watched as Mauta slowly waltzed as she spoke, eyes closed, lost in the melody of a memory more beautiful than he would ever know. "I was with another, and though we were unable to touch, we didn't mind. We danced for eons, not stopping for anything. Our dance was time itself; day and night, eternity and end."

Lewis, afraid to break her trance, quietly asked, "What happened? Where's the 'other'?"

Mauta slowly came to a stop, and she turned to face Lewis, and he saw pain in her face. "I…"

Before she could continue, though, she suddenly hunched over, shaking.

"Mauta!" Lewis cried out, reaching for her shoulder. As his hand made contact, though, her face came back up, and it was not the Mauta he knew.

Her face was contorted and cruel, snarling, and her eyes had lost their sparkling green irises, becoming fully black. Mauta clutched her head with two hands, and wrapped the third around her stomach before wailing, a desperate, miserable sound, before falling to her knees and clutching the gravel floor in her fists.

He backed away slowly as she began speaking, in a raspy, scratchy voice, " _ **hhhhhaaaaaA they tRy To contain us, but we won't let tHem, oUR strength is too great, our cycle WILL renew, renew, renew…anD I…thEn…i…**_ "

"Mauta?" Lewis asked, scared more than concerned at this point. He was answered by silence, aside from the crunch of gravel under his feet, and Mauta's ragged breathing.

Mauta's breathing became more regulated, and she blinked, her face returning to the one he knew, if a bit confused. She blinked, many times, and upon the last blink, her green irises returned, as if they had always been there. She looked up at Lewis, saw the confused fear on his face, and slowly said to him with a dawning realization, "It happened, didn't it?"

"What in the holy heck was THAT?" Lewis asked.

Mauta shakily stood back on her feet. She looked at Lewis sadly and said, "Having spent so long in this prison has taken its toll on me, I'm afraid. I occasionally have…moments…of discomfort. I cannot control them, nor can I sense when they will come until they are upon me." Lewis couldn't move from the spot. He asked, "How long has this gone on for? I've never seen this happen to you."

"Indeed. It seems having someone else to talk to has improved my condition a bit. Ordinarily, these would strike at least once before the sun would set."

"These fits used to happen DAILY?!" Lewis exclaimed.

Mauta merely nodded her head.

Lewis was in shock. If he had known sooner, maybe he could have…well, he didn't know WHAT he would have done, but maybe he could have helped somehow. He said to Mauta, "Why didn't you mention this sooner?"

"It is not your concern to worry about my health, youngling."

Lewis, having never seen Mauta like this before, felt awful seeing her so broken. But then, he came up with an idea to make her smile again.

"Mauta, what…what was your 'other' like? The dance partner you mentioned?"

Mauta looked at him for a moment, surprised, then stared off into space as she remembered.

"She was…amazing. She was light where I was shadow. We were each other's halves, and I never felt more complete, more whole, than during our dance. She was courage, and strength, and…beauty." Mauta smirked at the floor, fondly remembering times past. She drew with one arm in the dirt the shape of another four-armed spirit, and the drawing sparked to life with Mauta's emerald magic, becoming gold, spinning and dancing on the floor. Lewis watched as Mauta's smile of remembrance reached her eyes, and she chuckled to herself as she watched the little dancer until it returned to dust.

Lewis paused, wondering if he should press for information about the other person Mauta had mentioned. "You…you never did get to finish telling me about how you got here. Do you feel well enough to talk about it?"

Mauta looked at him, the happiness being replaced with gravity and hate, and said, "It was her. _She_ bound me here, separated me from my beloved, ended our dance. I cannot even bear to utter the witch's name. She does not even deserve such courtesy."

Lewis nodded his head, and started to turn away to leave, to give Mauta some quiet time alone. He turned back, though, as Mauta continued, "She is known in the world of Spirits as…the Caretaker. If you ever meet her, youngling…"

Lewis angrily interrupted her, "Oh, don't worry, I plan on giving this 'Caretaker' a piece of my mind as soon as I –"

"NO." Lewis looked Mauta in the eye confusedly as she barked at him. "She is beyond even my power. She has lived since this plane first sprung from nonexistence. If you should ever have the misfortune to meet the Caretaker…

…I want you to run, Lewis. Fly as swiftly as you can from her, do not turn around, and pray that she does not follow."


	13. Chapter 12: Reveal and Recount

Vivi stared numbly at Mystery for a while before responding. The formbefore her radiated power, but the eyes were back to the ones she knew. The intelligent eyes behind those strange yellow spectacles, no longer burning stars of rage. Mystery was calm, controlled, and nothing like how he had first appeared at the mansion.

Eventually, Vivi managed to get out a word. "You talked."

Mystery gave her a rather derisive look and said, "The fact that I'm talking stuns you more than the fact that I am a spirit?"

Vivi couldn't believe her ears. Was that _snark_?! Recovering, Vivi retorted, "Yeah, a spirit that tried to eat me! What the heck happened back there?"

Mystery sighed, and said, "I…wasn't expecting for there to be so much spiritual energy in the area. It tends to disrupt my appearance. Thus, I changed into my true form, and I –"

"That's not what I asked. What was with the chasing? And the ROARING? I legitimately thought–" Vivi paused before she continued, "I thought you were gonna kill me."

Mystery, caught off guard by this, looked shocked. Taking the time to choose his words carefully, he said, "I saw the spirits surrounding me. I saw the imp in your purse leading you away. I thought that they had entranced you, and were taking you away to do some foul ritual."

"What?! These little guys?" Vivi gestured to her purse and Vox peeped out at the wave of her hand, still timid from Mystery's display of power. "There's no way that these guys could hurt me." She petted Vox, in an attempt to reassure him.

"You give the imp far too much credit, Vivi. Spirits of even his lowly level of power have been known to lead unwary people to their doom." Mystery eyed the small ghost carefully.

Vivi put the ghost behind her back protectively and said defiantly to Mystery, "He's. Not. A. Threat."

Mystery sighed impatiently. "You are as stubborn as the day I met you, all those years ago. Do you know that?"

"And what was that to you? What am _I_ to you? Was I just a person who happened to be in the right place at the right time? Is that all I've ever been? A bed and food?"

Mystery looked her square in the eye. "You don't trust me. After all these years, one thing changes, and now you don't trust me?"

Vivi didn't look away, didn't even blink. "Can you blame me? My dog, which has been a dog for the past FIFTEEN YEARS, suddenly turns into a high-level spirit and I find out he lied to me about himself all these years, without even saying a word." She shot back, not even a quaver in her voice.

Mystery sighed, sounding more than annoyed, which served to only make Vivi angrier. "Vivi, in all the time we've been together, I have never made an attempt to hurt you, eat you, or do anything which you no doubt read about in your little book," Mystery said, motioning with his head towards the tome on the counter. Vivi briefly glanced back at it as Mystery continued, "I lived in your house for quite a few years now, so I think you'll forgive me for presuming that nothing I say will make you think differently about me for now, but we have other things to worry about."

—–

 _I don't like the way that this is going so far. The very nature of this job makes me suspicious. Vivi is no fool, so why would she take on a job like this, alone and with almost no information? I may not be able to smell magic very well in this skin, but I can guess that the job was likely concocted with the help of it. The dog-skin's nose is weak compared to the ability of my true form, but its emotions are more stable, and it helps me to more logically piece together what is happening. I paw at Vivi's side, trying to warn her of what is to come, of what I fear may be to come._ Can't give her too much, _I remind myself._ You're a dog, and you must stay that way _. It's a delicate balance, but it's a dance that we've been doing for the past fifteen years, and I've grown quite adept, if I do say so myself. This girl doesn't need to know the problems of what I face, what I come from. She has an unusual interest in the occult, one that I never counted on, but I humor her desires – for now, until it becomes too dangerous. I will allow it for now, but the very moment that I sense anything amiss, I am taking the both of us out, and possibly wiping away the last bits of that crumbling house, too._

 _We enter the ruins, and I see the remains of what was almost the end of my accepted master. I worry that we'll come across the shade of her beloved again here. He may care for her, but his emotions are clouded, and he may not be thinking straight right now. I will defend Vivi before anyone else, but I wish not to harm the boy's soul if I can help it._

 _Then debacle strikes. Vivi hears something upstairs, and she rushes headlong into what I fear may be a trap. I try to follow quickly, to get in front of her, but she is too far ahead, and the dog-skin never did fare well on staircases. I look desperately at the paintings on the walls. When last we visited, they displayed the ability to replay memories when disturbed. I can only hope that Vivi has not stopped to look at any of them. With relief, I see that none of the paintings are active. If she learned the truth…_

 _Eventually I catch up to her, and separate her from the spirit that nearly caused a disaster. She holds me back, unfortunately, but then we see what we were brought here for_. The boy's anchor is left behind, but where is he? _I wonder to myself._ _Before I can question further, Vivi stops to study the little thing. I stare out into the darkness, see the poltergeists responsible for this mess. I flash my eyes at them, red embers of fury, and they dissipate from near her. I whine at her, hoping to leave soon, but she waves me off, lost in thought._

 _Then the imps return. But they have no interest in her, I see. They come to encircle me. Their eyes glow, painting the floor a frightful yellow around me. Magic is in the air, so thick that even the dog-skin can smell it. How Vivi doesn't notice, I have no idea. I faintly hear, on the breath of the air, words of power whispered. Someone, I know not who, is casting a spell, channeling it through the little troublemakers. The amount of strength needed to control so many puppets at once would have to be enormous, but the youngling ghost of Vivi's lover has neither the strength nor the means for a spell like this. I can see it in their faces, eyes glowing with energy and maws sounding out syllabic force. Someone is definitely controlling them, there's no denying that. But who, and for what?_

 _Suddenly a spasm grips me, sending tremors down my body._ Oh, no. _The glamour that holds my form together is being frayed, gnawed at by that foreign entity. Why does its touch feel familiar…_

 _My body shakes again, and the dog-skin fades for a brief moment._

They want to reveal me!

 _No, not now. I growl at them, bark at them, thankfully still in the dog's voice. This time, though, they are not scared away. Their circling pattern tightens around me, choking out my own magic, replacing it with the intruder's. I look up and –_

 _–And Vivi is gone. The dog's reason is slipping, cracking, turning to panic and anger. They have taken her, I'm sure of it, but to where—_

"M _-_ Mystery?"

 _And then I turn, I see the ghost leading Vivi away, and she sees me, just as the dog-skin shatters, and I give in to my ancient, primordial rage._

—-

"Other things like what, exactly?"

"Like Arthur, disappearing to who knows where, and causing who knows what mayhem."

"What do you mean? You're talking about _Arthur_ here, you're acting like he's a criminal, Mystery."

"Not a criminal, but the boy seems to be a magnet for bad luck. How much do you remember from the night of the accident?"

"Not much. I remember a guy falling, and dying. But more importantly, I remember YOU," She jabbed Mystery in the chest with an accusing finger, "ripping off my best friend's arm and trying to kill him."

"Desperate moments call for desperate measures."

"What does that even mean?"

"What it means, Vivi, is that we were not alone that night in the cave. You have a brilliant head on your shoulders, so why don't you use it?" Mystery's final words were said with a growl of irritation. Vivi realized that, whether or not she could trust Mystery, he likely knew what he was talking about, and he didn't seem to be lying…not that she could tell either way, though. Mystery seemed…different, now that his true form was revealed. He still had his old intelligence about him, but now he seemed wilder, fiercer that he was as a dog. His speech was terse, and felt as though it was brimming with anger at even the slightest provocation.

—–

 _I howl, no, ROAR, and the world goes red, red, red. The small, unmarked ghost leads her down the winding hallways, out of my reach. The only reason I don't leap forward and devour the offending ghost is thanks to my size, which blocks me out of the hall.  
_ Well, since I am here…  
 _I turn to the ghosts who have betrayed my cover. They are blinking, looking at each other confusedly. Then they see me. Their eyes widen, paralyzed by their dread. I open my jaws, fangs dripping. I shouldn't be delaying time here, I should be going after Vivi. But my sense has fled with the dog, and the beast-skin is in control. And it is hungry._

—

"We…we weren't alone? There was another person?" Vivi asked.

"Not another person. Another spirit."

"But what did it do? It couldn't have done anything without a body to…"

Mystery gave her a slow nod. The locket had given her back the shattered memories. Now she was finally starting to put them back together.

"The ghost possessed one of us to…"

"To push your beloved off of the cliff's edge. Yes."

"But I was down exploring the cave bottom on my own. Lewis was shining his light down, I could see him, that would leave…" Vivi's hands slowly moved to cover her mouth in shock.

"Arthur. Arthur was possessed."

Mystery merely nodded in confirmation.

—

 _I burst through the hallway, destroying what little structure remains in this fractured building. I emerge just as Vivi is running to her van. She's…carrying the imp. It's not dragging her away? I leap down to the bottom of the staircase, and I watch as her van slowly disappears over the hill and out of sight._

 _My senses are prime in this form, unparalled. This gives me the advantage, seeing as I have lost Vivi and the little imp responsible for this. I should be able to make up ground easily. I dash along the old road, berating myself along the way._ Idiot. The ghost was trying to help, and you let your impulses get the better of you. Again. _After I escaped from…_ **her** _, I swore that I wouldn't allow myself to hurt another soul, living or dead, unless absolutely necessary. And now I've broken my vow, many times over. Not to mention the fact that now, the one girl who actually thought to care for me, the one who showed me love for the first time in my life – she thinks I'm a monster._

 _My thoughts slow me down, make me stop._ If she fears me, she won't listen to me, will she? What's the point of chasing her down if she thinks I'm going to devour her? Her trust in me is gone _. Miserable, I sit, my only movements is my tails swinging in the breeze. Then, I feel something like a slight breath tickling my ears, whispering. I turn my head to look for it, but it's not to be found anywhere. I see out of the corner of my eye, a small flash of gold. I turn, slowly, apathetically. Even if it's a spirit, there are few in this world who can match me. I look down and see a small spirit, the source of the gold flicker. He is spherical, with two small legs and a flat tail underneath his light body. He chimes at me, like a bell, and lands gently on my forepaw. He is no bigger than my paw, and I could swat him away easily. However, before I do, he brings his head down on my paw, and I feel a curious warmth go up my leg, see a small golden light blossoming on my paw. Angered by his attempt at magic on me, I lift up my leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. The warmth travels up my leg, into my body, and into the back of my skull. I feel, despite my attempt at seriousness, a strange giddiness. The thing is trying to…cheer me up?_

 _I turn to look at the wood from whence it came. It was rumored that in this area, a benevolent spirit with healing powers would send out her "children" to help the physically and emotionally broken, but I had never investigated the myth myself. I lower my head to eye level with the small spirit, and it hops up onto my snout, chiming as it jumps. I raise myself back up to my full height, lifting the small spirit for a Birdseye view of the big world it lives in. I speak to the little spirit as I go._

 _"_ So, where did you come from, little one?" _He gives his response, a sweet, ringing sound, and looks at the forest behind me. I ask him, "_ I expect your mother misses you. Shall we go find her?" _In response, he gives me an excited jingle, and I paw towards the forest._

"It's unwise to leave behind the ones that care about you, little one. You'll want them back sooner than you know." _The little orb looks at me with his round eyes, inquisitively. He's wise, for a newborn. He can tell I'm being a hypocrite. I try to focus on the steps ahead, careful not to send the small spirit falling. But eventually, he gets bored and decides to hop around on my head. He bounces onto the top of my skull, yanks on my ears (I didn't even know he had_ hands _) and skips back onto my snout. For a small spirit, he has quite the grip. Thankfully, I finally reach the edge of the woods. I lower my snout back down at the edge of the forest, and it hops off, jingling its thanks to me. It hops and waddles between the trees, and begins to glow gold again. The little one is greeted by more gold lights as he approaches the forest, and disappears in the darkness of the trees. Smiling, I watch until they fade away, my mood improved._

 _That little one reminds me of Vivi, when she was young. He has the same spark of wonder, that same light of joy for exploring the world around him that Vivi had. That was the spark I fell in love with, all those years ago, the spark I swore to protect at all costs. The master I chose, not the one forced upon me. Remembering this, I set back down the path with redoubled speed, with my mind set on the path ahead, and on Vivi._

—

"But it makes no sense. For something that violent, it would have to be a voluntary possession, or otherwise a demon of huge— _immense_ power." Vivi looked critically at Mystery. "Are you saying that Arthur _LET_ that spirit in?!"

Mystery's face was impassive. He took a deep breath before replying. "Unfortunately, Vivi, for all you know about the spirit world, there is much you don't understand yet. But you will learn, and if I'm right, you may get far more than you bargained for by the end of this."

"Mystery, you're not making sense."

"I know. But we haven't the time to sit idly by, Vivi." Mystery turned to leave. "We have work to do."

"What kind of work? And what makes you think that I want to go with you at all?"

Mystery turned and looked at her sadly and said, "Because, if we don't find Arthur, it is very possible the world will burn for our failure."

"What?! What is he doing?"

"It's not what _he's_ doing, but what others will do _to him_ that we need to worry about."

"Well, how are we gonna find him? We still don't have any idea where he is."

"I can remember Arthur's scent fairly well, and my nose is keenest in this form. I'll be able to find him even if the trail is weeks old."

Vivi stopped and thought for a moment. This was a lot to take in, especially so quickly. But if Mystery was right, then they didn't have time to wait for her to process everything. Looking back at Mystery, she nodded her head and said, "Okay, let's do this."

Mystery nodded and turned to go outside.

"But don't think for a second–" Vivi continued, grabbing Mystery by the tip of one of his tails – "That this conversation is over. When this is over, you and I are gonna have a long, serious talk. And you and Arthur are gonna bring me up to speed on anything and EVERYTHING I missed out on. Are we clear?"

Mystery looked back coolly before replying, "In all my millennia since I was spawned, no one has ever spoken to me like that, Vivi." After seeing her fearsome expression, though, he rapidly cleared his throat and said, "Well, perhaps some explanation is overdue…"

"Hey, explain later! You were the one who told me Arthur's in danger, so lead the way, ya demonic furball!"

With that, Mystery and Vivi left town, Vivi in the van and Mystery bounding ahead, hopefully leading to Arthur.


	14. Chapter 13: The Plan -- Part 1

**(18 months after Lewis' Death)**

Mauta stood opposite from Lewis, the cave's typical emeraldgleam dimmed. All was quiet. She curtseyed to him, and he bowed toher. And the dance began.

Mauta spun herself into her first attack. She poised herself elegantly on the points ofher feet, creating magical gestures with her elfin fingers and arms. Waves of emerald arcane force arced out fromher palms, sweeping towards Lewis, who was waiting, crouched in a fightingstance. Waiting for the right moment,Lewis leaped upwards, spinning as he did so. He avoided the first arc, then responded to the second with a wave of hisown, consuming Mauta's scything blades of energy with his own pink flames. Mauta's lessons rebounded in his head as he continued the fight. _The battle is music, and the battlefield is your stage. Perform, flow with the heat of the fight, not against it._

Lewis Ran towards Mauta, sparks running between his fingertips, as she prepared for her next assault. Lewis leaped upwards, fists engulfed in fire, and swung his left fist down, hard, in a crushing underhand punch. Mauta watched, unmoving on her toes, as he came in to strike. As he descended, though, Mauta's form flickered briefly, and then vanished, leaving Lewis' fist to hit the stone floor. Down on one knee, Lewis heard Mauta's voice cry out, "Not all your enemies will give you the courtesy of vision. Find me!"

Lewis stayed on one knee and closed his eyes while he expanded his thoughts outward, feeling for Mauta's presence. Sensing other forms of life was a bit disorienting at first. Everything was black, and you couldn't move, couldn't hear. All you could do is see, and see in all directions at once. The first time he tried, it had given him a headache and made him feel a little queasy. Now that he was a little more used to it, he could manage in combat situations like this. Suddenly, he saw behind him an emerald light, scaldingly bright with power. Eyes flashing as he opened them, Lewis whirled around, peppering the wall behind him with pink fireballs. Mauta was directly in the line of fire, exactly where he had pinpointed her. But his victory would not be so easily assured. Mauta moved in rhythm with the blasts, either evading the flames or deflecting them aside with a flick of her many wrists. The final fireball, Mauta took and redirected, sending it back directly towards Lewis. Lewis dove to the side, and where he had been standing, the fireball collided with a stalagmite, which began to bubble and melt at the extreme heat.

Lewis, disappointed that his assaults weren't affecting Mauta at all, despite his months of training, was still pleased with himself. Months ago, he never would have been able to make a fireball of that heat. He wouldn't have known how to seek Mauta's presence out, either. He didn't know anything about the spirit world months ago, and now—now he felt in control, confident, strong –powerful.

He had no time to pat himself on the back, though. Mauta was a merciless trainer, and would seize any opening he gave her. As he had let himself distracted for a fraction of a second already, Mauta teleported again and reappeared above him. She came streaking downward, aiming a powerful kick at Lewis' back. Remembering the instructions he had been given, Lewis spun on his feet, turning gracefully out of the way, like a ballroom dancer. Mauta's foot struck stone, and the boulder that had been behind Lewis was carved precisely in two. Mauta showed no sign of stopping though, and launched herself back into the frenzy of assault. Lewis ducked, twisted and parried with his arms as Mauta pressed him backward, lithe speed meeting indomitable will.

However, one can keep up a perfect defense for so long, especially against somone with four arms. One of Mauta's palms finally connected with Lewis' chest, and he felt a blossoming of heat as she did. A small green explosion erupted from Lewis' chest where Mauta hit him, and he was sent flying backward, into the cave wall. He fell, stunned by the force of the hit, but before he could even stand up, Mauta was already there, two hands gripping him by his blazer, the third cupping a glowing orb of green magic over her head, poised to strike. Lewis stopped, looking for a way to escape, but saw none. Sighing, he brought his hands to either side, showed Mauta the pink flames still running along them, and let them slowly die out.

Satisfied that she had won, Mauta let go of Lewis' jacket and helped him stand. "An excellent display of both power and awareness, but your defense still needs some work, I think."

Lewis rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, "Yeah, I could use a little more practice. I don't know how you got to be so good. I mean, did you even break a sweat while we were dueling?"

"No."

"Oh." Mauta's response was a lot blunter than he had expected. "I've got more work to do than I thought…"

"It's hardly fair to compare yourself to me, though. Lewis, you must remember, I have existed for _millennia._ I have had more than enough time to master myself. You have been born into the afterlife barely more than one year, and you have learned more that I could have ever hoped for. Your level of improvement is nothing short of remarkable."

Lewis looked back up at Mauta. "You—you mean that?"

"When I tell the truth, Lewis, I tell it exactly. No more, no less. You have earned every bit of my praise that I give you. No more, because you still and always will have room to improve. But no less," And as she said this, she smiled again, "because you have truly done well."

Lewis felt a rush of pride as he asked her his next question. "So, then, do you think I'm ready? Do you think I've learned enough yet?"

Mauta chuckled to herself before she replied, "You still have much to learn, but I doubt, I could keep you here any longer if I tried. Go, find what you seek."

Lewis turned to leave, grinning with pride. Before he left, though, he turned one last time and said, "It's funny…I never expected I would get this far…I guess I didn't plan this next step out very well…I don't know how or where I should do this…"

Mauta smirked and answered, "Not too far from here, there is an old, abandoned mansion. It is humming with spiritual energy, and will likely aid you. Use the techniques I taught you to draw the betrayer there, and he will come."

Lewis, happy beyond belief that Mauta believed in him, bowed formally, and Mauta returned the gesture with a curtsy of her own. As he started to float to the mouth of the cave, though, he heard Mauta's voice again, and its sternness had returned in full force.

"Lewis."

Lewis immediately turned to give his teacher his full attention.

"When we first met, I agreed to teach you because you were lost in despair, and you needed a new purpose to fuel you again. You are nearing that goal now. But I would warn you. The path you are on is one of revenge," Mauta paused before she, somewhat hastily, added, "albeit justified, righteous revenge."

"It is a violent road, one of anger and one that does not always bring happiness to its travelers. Lewis, I would warn you: your anger is a valuable tool, but never let it become your drive. Spirits that do such have always become twisted shells of themselves, and…I would see you avoid that fate, if I can."

Lewis stared at her for a moment, then simply nodded his head gravely in reply. And then he was gone.


	15. Chapter 14: The Plan -- Part 2

I sit, meditating upon one of my favored rocks, when I sense a presence approaching my cage. It is a familiar presence.

Lewis.

After all these months, I expected Lewis to be more than capable of finding his quarry. All he has to do is find the human, and bring him here, and the keys to my freedom will be in my grasp. However, when Lewis returns from his quest for vengeance, I see that he has not only come back empty handed, but also distraught and damaged.

My first thought: a knee-jerk reaction of concern.

 ** _Concern? What is wrong with you?_ _He is a puppet!_**

The Fit attempts to change my thoughts back to their murderous glee of primeval days. No. Not now. Before Lewis can see my face, I still myself, force myself to stomach the pain, shove it back down within me. Regaining my composure, I stand from my pedestal, watch him as he touches down. His eyes are filled with pain, and he shakily walks over to me.

"Mauta…I-I…"

Nervous, both for his sake and for premature actions he may have taken, I ask, "Lewis, what happened? Did you find the boy? Where is…" I trail off, seeing his locket, his most treasured item, hanging loosely from his blazer. It is fractured, nearly broken, and its once gentle golden glow is gone.

Looking up sharply at him, I slowly sit back down upon my rock, gesture for him to sit, and say, "Tell me what happened. Everything."

—

"…You should have seen the way she—s-she _looked_ at me. It was like she didn't even recognize me anymore. I thought she would be upset because she didn't know the whole story, but it was like she didn't know me at _all_ , Mauta. Am…am I really that different now?"

I don't answer immediately, I am lost in thought. Eventually, after some prodding, I respond, "Did she have magic on her?"

"W-What?"

"It may be possible that you accidentally cast some spell on her as you died. Tell me your final memories from life."

"I—I remember everything going hazy, and I was kinda disoriented. I saw Vivi and I –"

His eyes widen, as he realizes what he has done. He finishes, "I didn't recognize her. I remembered her when I was dead, but not while I was – Mauta, do you think that I did that to–"

"I think that it's very possible. For some ghosts, when they are born, their first attempt at magic backfires on them due to inexperience, and they affect themselves as well as their target. She doesn't remember you because she can't, Lewis. Your magic has blocked her mind from remembering. What was your last wish before everything went blurred?"

Lewis went deathly quiet. His response is a nearly inaudible whisper, "For her to not remember me like this." He instinctively grasps his chest as he says this, recalling old wounds.

"Lewis." I grasp his shoulder, and he looks up at me. "I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but there is a chance that the girl's memory will never recover. She may never fully remember what you had again, at least not in this life."

Lewis' eyes widen, equal measures of hurt, guilt, and regret in them. Then the Fit argues with me again.

 _What are you doing? The boy has been through enough. Why torment him further?_

 ** _Because he holds the key to our freedom, and our mission. How can we do anything less?_**

 _He has just lost his lover, and now he discovers it was at his own hands, no less. He needs us now, more than ever._

 ** _Wrong. WE need HIM. How are we to complete the mission ordained to us by the cosmos if we are to let one fledgling ghost interfere at every step?_**

 _It's not his fault. Destiny is cruel._

 ** _And Destiny would be much different if we were back in control, wouldn't it? We can make it so that this never happened, we can spare the boy all of the suffering he is going through._**

 _If we do that—If we go through with THIS—he may well follow his heartbreak into the abyss himself, along with all of creation. We are incomplete, we have been trapped here for eons, we –_

 ** _WE. ARE. MAUTA. WE. ARE. STRONG. WE. ARE. PERFECT._**

With that, the other voice is snuffed out, and the voice of the Fit wins the argument.

"There may be yet a way to save her mind though. I have a plan. It is slightly risky, but it may well work, and also put her out of harms' way, if all works to plan. Are you willing to try?"

Lewis, listening to me intently, narrows his eyes in determination. His reply is as expected: "I won't lose her again."

 ** _Perfect._**

—

 **(1 week later)**

Lewis goes over the plan with me again, to ensure that he has not forgotten anything.

"So, I send out the signal, just like what I used to stop the van in front of the mansion, and it will bring Vivi back?"

"She will go to wherever the Call sends her. Your purpose is to shape the Call, and it will be received in any fashion that you can think of. It may be best to think of a method that will not arouse suspicion –"

"I know just the method."

Lewis sits cross-legged on the floor of the cave, and closes his eyes. I see before him a pink-tinted, translucent projection of his lover.

She is in her vehicle, along with –the dog. I look down at Lewis, see if there is any spark of recognition in his face, but he seems to be too focused on his task, and on her.

The girl is using one of the modern day's communication devices, with the demon at her side. She stopped when she sees a request – one that appears pink in the screen's otherwise blue sea. I smile. His mastery of Poltergeisting, or manipulation of objects from a distance, has improved enormously.

She looks at the request for help, scrutinizes it, and the magic takes its hold. It's nothing serious, Lewis would never do any more lasting magic on her if he could help it; but it places a strong, albeit temporary, desire to visit the mansion.

The 'dog' sees the look in her eyes, though, and immediately becomes suspicious. He paws at her side, tries to warn her of a danger. But the magic holds, and she replies, "Don't worry, Mystery. This is going to be an easy run, just you wait and see. I just need to get some stress out of my system–"

Lewis, satisfied with the charm he has placed, turns back to me as the hologram vanishes.

I run through the checklist one last time with him. "Have you placed the locket where she will find it?"

Lewis nodded his head. "As long as the Deadbeats do their job, there's no way she can miss it."

"Are you sure that they WILL do their job? The imps in that castle are capricious and flighty, not to mention their lack of will. Should another supernatural being approach and claim their minds for himself or herself, you will be out of minions."

"That's why I brought a few with me." As he said this, he tapped his chest cavity, and with a small pink glow, out spiraled four of the ribbonlike imps. They encircle me and Lewis playfully, waving hello with their clawed nubs. Amused, I wave back.

"Excellent, then step one is nearly complete."

"Do you think that it will work?"

"It is our best chance of retrieving that girl's memory without frightening her further with your presence. If you are to have your revenge, we must make sure that the girl is aware and out of harm's way."

Lewis nods his head slowly. "That makes sense."

"Now, on to the next phase. Are you ready?"

Lewis tightens his fist. Just the mention of what he hates is almost enough to set him off. "I've been ready for this for the last year." He says in an ominous voice.

Lewis sits down again, and begins his search for another life form. I ask him as he does so, "Are you sure that you still remember the betrayer enough that you can pinpoint him?"

He doesn't respond immediately. I ask again, and he opens his eyes, flashing full pink. "Got him."

The pink hologram appears again, this time in the form of a map. It showed a lone Mountain, near a forest, and a yellow 'X' slowly approaching the mountain.

My eyes widen as I slowly recognize this place. _No. Not now. NOT NOW._

Lewis stands up, looks at the hologram, and memorizes the location. He begins to float up to the mouth of the cave, I grab him by the hand, desperately. He looks down at me quizzically.

"Lewis, I—I fear that you may be walking into a trap."

"Wait, what?"

"I know this mountain, and it is a dark place. You will have to find a way to capture the betrayer before he enters."

"Why? What's in the mountain?"

"Mirrors."

"…Mirrors? That's what you're afraid of?"

"Magical mirrors, that distort the truth and the world around you. They—alter your perceptions, tell you lies. Those that enter sometimes never come back out, for being unable to distinguish between the real and the false. I warn you now, Lewis, fly after the boy if you must, but DO NOT enter the mountain."

"If it's as bad as you say, why would Arthur be going there?"

"I know not. Only a madman would seek answers from those twisted mirrors."

Lewis thinks for a moment, then replies, "I'll be careful, Mauta. I promise."

He then flies out of the mouth of the cave, and as he does, fear grips my heart that my plan may be beginning to unravel.

 _If he ignores my warnings and goes in, and he sees the mirrors, they could tell him—_

 ** _They could tell him everything. You will lose your puppet, and you will lose your only chance of escape. Why would you allow him to go?_**

 _I…I wanted him to have this. To have what he needs for peace._

 ** _His peace?! His peace will give us nothing! And you would jeopardize our freedom for HIM?!_**

 _…_

 ** _…WELL?_**

 _Yes. Yes I would. He's not just a puppet to us anymore, no matter what you say._

 ** _I beg your PARDON?!_**

 _I will not allow you to keep using the boy for your ends. He is a free being. He does not deserve what we are doing to him._

 ** _You've gone soft on him. I knew this would happen. If you quit our purpose now, you doom the world to grow old and die in our absence._**

 _I don't care. There are more important things than our –_

 ** _More IMPORTANT? NOTHING is more important than our mission! I've had enough of you!_**

 _What will you do?!_

 ** _I will do what you have not the stomach for. I will see us freed, even if the boy is cast into the deepest places of the Void for his help in saving us._**

 _I will stop—_

 ** _YOU WILL STOP NOTHING._**

With that, I feel the Fit crawling up from inside of me. It spreads through my body like poison. It takes my limbs for itself, fills my mind with deadly purpose.

I— **WE** — **will not fail. Not when we are so close. Not now. Not ever.**


	16. Chapter 15: Reunion

Mystery was gaining ground, a lot faster than Vivi had accounted for. He covered the land in leaps and bounds. She shoved her footdown on the gas pedal to make up for lost ground. Her mind, though, was racing nearly as fastas her wheels were.

So, we're going to finally find Arthur which is good but I don't know where we're going this might all be a ploy I don't know where we're going I hate not knowing I hate hate HATE not knowing what is going on and my dog who isn't really a dog is leading me around on a wild goose chase which isn't really helping matters either I wonder if he even knows where he's going or if he remembers Arthur's scent well enough to find him, and I should really remember to tell Duet thank you for letting me keep the tome on Spirits, I'm sure it will tell me lots, but I need to stay focused on the task at hand, but I don't want to forget anything important and I don't know how stable my memory is, how much of my memory can I even—

Vivi snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed that Mystery had stopped dead in his tracks. Vivi slammed on the brakes as she approached alongside him. He was sitting, staring down from the top of the hill they were on, looking at an old building. Vivi parked the van, then hopped out to get a closer look. "Why did you stop here? Is this where Arthur is?"

"No, but he spent a great deal of time here compared to the rest of his trail. We may find out something of where he's going, and what is going on."

Mystery and Vivi pulled up to the site of the old building. Some old neon could be seen spelling out the words "Motel" in dying lights. Ugh, this place is a dump. I hope that Arthur didn't actually STAY here.

Vivi and Mystery approached the main office door, and Vivi raised her hand to knock. Just as she did though, she stopped and turned to Mystery. "Um…you might wanna…you know."

Mystery looked at her, head cocked in confusion, then said, "Oh—Oh! Of course." He then crouched and his body's silhouette was surrounded in red as his body shrank back down to the one that she knew. She then turned back to the door and knocked. From behind the door, she could hear the sound of crashing things and a lock being undone. As the door opened, she could hear an old voice grumbling, "…Never get any sleep anymore, everyone's banging on my door every hour of the day…"

Out into the late afternoon sun came an old man, shading his eyes and with a none-too-happy expression on his face. "Well?! You disturbed my reading time, I hope that this is important!"

Vivi immediately replied, "Oh, y-yes it is sir! You see, I'm looking for my friend, he's a boy about my height, with big yellow hair and a prosthetic limb."

"Ugh, you kids these days, always sparking problems where you shouldn't. Kids used to mind their own business, not poking their nose into every other whatsit that happened around town!"

"I—I'm sorry?"

"Well, you should be!" With that, the old man turned around, and walked back into his office.

Vivi was about to call after him, but then she heard his voice from beyond the still-open door: "Well, are you going to come in, or are you going to stand there all day gaping like a codfish?"

Vivi, still slightly stunned by the manner at which she was being spoken to, numbly walked in through the door. Mystery followed behind her, muttering to himself, "The old one smells…well, old, but besides that…there's something about him, I…"

Vivi looked sharply behind her, and looked down at Mystery, who was still in dog form. "Quiet, you! This guy probably knows where Arthur is, or at least where to go next. We don't want to scare him."

"Hurry along now. I won't receive guests in my front hallway, if I must have them at all." The old man's voice came from in a doorway past what appeared to be a dining area. Vivi and Mystery walked toward the door, but as Vivi was about to turn the doorknob, Mystery suddenly grunted behind her. She looked at him, and he was shaking his head, twitching as if being irritated by a rather persistent insect. "What is it?" Vivi asked him.

"I'm…not sure. Something has…shifted, that's the only way to describe it—behind that door. I can't sense magic as well in this form, but something immensely powerful is behind that door. Vivi, I don't like this. I don't like this one bit."

"Mystery, this guy is our only lead, and I'm not gonna let the trail go cold. Arthur is out there, and he needs our help, you said it yourself."

"Well, yes, but—"

"But, nothing! I'm not gonna sit around and wait for an answer to come to me!" Turning back around, Vivi grabbed the handle and threw open the door. As she did, Mystery crouched, eyes beginning to glow red.

As the door opened, though, and as Vivi saw inside, the wariness in her eyes was replaced with a magical wonder. Vivi slowly walked into a massive library, the likes of which she had never seen before in her life. Mystery, still wary about this place, stayed right next to her, in case the owner wasn't very friendly. Suddenly, he saw Vivi was quivering next to him. "Vivi?!" He called out, suddenly stricken with concern. That old man must have ensorcelled her when he wasn't paying attention, but if he just—

It was then that Vivi slowly burst into giddy laughter, and dashed over to the nearest bookshelf. With a grin that nearly reached her ears, Vivi pulled book after book from the shelves, taking time to take in the beauty of each cover, flip through a chapter each, take in the smell of the sometimes ancient parchment. "Mystery, look at these, some of these have to be one-of-a-kind copies! And look at the quality of the preservation in these scrolls! Some of these books look like they've been around since books were invented! I haven't seen this many at a printing factory, let alone my work! Vox, come on, look at these!" Vivi continued to rush between the shelves, scanning through books as she went along, Vox streaming behind her, twittering happily. Mystery chuckled as he watched her. Despite Vivi having just nearly given him a heart attack, Mystery couldn't help but marvel at her sudden excitement. The girl had always loved books, but it never ceased to amaze him how much she could find new ways to be excited for the same thing again and again. Vivi's tireless passion was certainly a sight to behold.

"Well, at least someone appreciates my manuscripts." The old man came out from the shadows, opposite from the row of bookshelves that Vivi was currently in. Vivi, turning to see him, slowly put the book back where she had found it, and walked towards him. "You have a beautiful library."

"Thank you, my dear. I'm glad you appreciate it. Not many humans do, anymore, I'm afraid." He said this sadly, almost wistfully.

"I'm sorry, but did you say you knew where my friend was? We're kind of in a hurry."

"Nonsense, nonsense! You've delayed this long, what's a few minutes more?" The old man walked back to a large desk, with a beautiful crystal solar system set resting on it, gently ticking its orbits. He sat down in the large chair behind the desk, motioning for Vivi to come forward. "Come, sit."

"Um, sir—there's no place to sit down."

"Oh—silly me—my apologies, dear, I am getting on in years. Or is that millennia?" As he said this, he snapped his fingers, and a number of blue, glassy fragments appeared in the air. The fragments slowly pulled inward in front of Vivi, forming a chair made of what appeared to be glass.

"How did you do that?" Vivi stared at the chair, amazed by what she had just seen.

"Oh, there's quite a few things you don't know about me, my dear Vivi."

Vivi looked back at Mystery, who was starting to growl softly in wariness.

Before saying anything else, Vivi's hands moved instinctively to her glasses, tapping the scanner. The old man gave Vivi an amused face as she did. His amusement was only heightened when Vivi said, "Wha–ERROR? Since when are Arthur's glasses unable to read—"

"It's because your glasses would likely break before they gauged my power." He turned to face Mystery, who was still growling while scrutinizing him intensely. He made a sour face and said, "Now, is that any way to look at one's host? You can't be comfortable in that skin, my boy, it's making you irritable. Here, let me help you out of it." With that, the old man snapped his fingers again, and Mystery yelped and jumped a foot in the air. Vivi turned and rushed over to him, not even sure what was wrong, when she saw the cracks.

All along Mystery's body, there were now deep blue cracks, identical in hue and shape to the glassy magic that the old man had just used.

"What did you do?!"

"Just helped him out of a skin that's a few sizes too tight." The old man shrugged nonchalantly.

Vivi took a step backwards as Mystery's dog body fractured further, and then shattered into blue glass and dust as his beast form exploded outwards. Mystery's rage was indescribable as he roared at the old man, "YOU DARE! YOU DARE TO USE MAGIC UPON ME?!"

"Yes, I do, and I'll do it again, and again, and as many times as I please. You know, for a being who used to describe himself as an ''elder of the cosmos'', you always were the grumpiest thing I ever did lay eyes on."

"What are you talking about? You and I have never met."

"You can't feel my presence?"

"Most of my supernatural faculties have gone unused for the past decade; you will forgive me if I'm a bit slow. Who and what are you?" Mystery asked, with an edge to his voice that would cut through steel.

"Hmmm…leaving your senses to rust. Unwise, that." The old man took one finger and drew it along his face and down his body. As he did, the same blue cracks appeared on his body, spreading hairline fractures along him and his body. Eventually, the glass shattered, accompanied by a blue flash.

Vivi covered her face with her arms, and Mystery turned his head to the side to avoid the harsh light. The light faded almost as quickly as it came, and Mystery and Vivi returned their attention to the old man.

Or at least the new old man, because the first old man and the one standing before them now were NOT the same person.

The man before Vivi and Mystery stood tall and proud, unlike how the first old man had been hunched. This man wore flowing blue and sable robes, and instead of a cane, he held a staff with a dark sapphire embedded in the head. The man's bearded face and head was topped by a strange, tall blue hat.

Mystery's eyes widened as he saw the man's face, then said, "Wait, no, it couldn't be…Y-…Your Eminence?"

The old man nodded his head in reply. Mystery pawed backwards, disbelief etched in his face, but immediately recovered and stiffly bowed his head, glaring eyes never once leaving the old man's face. The old man turned to Vivi and said, "Please, sit. I think it's obvious we have much to discuss."

Vivi, confused more than anything at this point, slowly moved to sit down. She expected the chair to be hard and cold, but it was actually relatively comfortable. She adjusted her position to face the old man, who was now seated at the desk again.

"Okay, now how about answering Mystery's question: Who are you?"

"For now, my dear, you can call me the Bookkeeper. This is my Library," He said, with a sweeping motion towards the massive bookshelves behind them.

Vivi continued on, "Okay, 'Bookkeeper: how do you know Mystery? Mystery called you 'Your Eminence', why was that?"

"Well, he and I have—ah, known one another for quite some time now."

"Old friends?"

"Not quite."

Mystery pawed over next to Vivi and chimed in, "The Bookkeeper is an ancient individual, older than I am. He was present when I was first formed."

"Wait, so he—he's like your dad?"

Mystery hesitated before answering, a sort of stifling pause detectable before he answered. "…In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Wow. There's, ah…" Vivi glanced between the two of them as she spoke, "…there's not much of a family resemblance."

"Not much of a moral resemblance, either." Mystery grumbled, almost inaudibly. Vivi only just barely heard him, she couldn't tell if the Bookkeeper heard him, either.

"Okay, next question: Do you know where my friend Arthur is?" Vivi said, suddenly remembering why they had stopped here in the first place.

"Ah yes, the blond one with the metal arm. Shame, he doesn't seem to have the same fondness for books that you have. He mentioned how much you love books while he was here, and I had him hold onto one for you, in case he saw you before I did."

"Wait, really?! What was it about?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to find that out for yourself, dear." The Bookkeeper said with a smirk.

Vivi grumbled in irritation before continuing, "Well, do you know where he went?"

"Yes, I do. If he followed the instructions I gave him, he should be on his way to an old mountain, to the Southwest of here. You can't miss it; it's the only one for miles."

"Old Mountain, Southwest. Got it. Well, thanks a lot for your help. We'd love to stay, but we really need to catch up to—"

"You. Sent. Him. THERE?!" Mystery's voice cut in, suddenly furious beyond what Vivi had heard yet.

"Of course. It will help him."

"And how is risking his sanity going to help him? Hmm?!"

Vivi fought to get back into what was rapidly turning into an extremely strange father-son argument. "Wait, risk his sanity? What's in that mountain, Mystery?"

Mystery ignored her, continuing on, "I don't even know what to say. I can't believe I'm surprised! This fits your style perfectly. Did you even stop to consider what would happen if your little scheme goes WRONG in the Psychomanteum?"

"Mystery, what's the Psychomanteum? And is Arthur in some kind of trouble?"

Mystery was silent, too busy staring down the bookkeeper. Finally, in a deadly quiet voice, "Your disregard for human life is sickening. You still haven't learned, after all these centuries. And you wonder why I left."

The Bookkeeper stopped, dead in his tracks. He slowly stood from his chair and responded, "And you think you're completely blameless here? Thanks to your disappearance, SHE went off the deep end! Why do you think the spirit world is so restless all of a sudden these past few decades? It's all I can do to instill order where I can! None of this would have happened if you didn't leave your post!"

All Mystery could do was stare back in dumb rage at this old man, who Vivi got the feeling wasn't the whole problem in whatever they were arguing about. Before Vivi could get any more details, Mystery said, "Come Vivi, we may already be too late." With that, he made for the door, quickly, and burst through the double doors.

Vivi, unsure of what to do, hesitantly followed Mystery, looking back at the old man. He was watching her go, sadly. He called after her, "Read the note in the book when it happens."

"When what happens?"

"I'm sorry, I can tell you no more. Tell Mystery—tell him I'm sorry. For everything."

Vivi slowly nodded, then turned and went out the door.

Vivi found Mystery waiting for her at the van, impatiently stamping his paws in the dust.

"What the heck was that about? You can't sit to have a civil conversation with the poor guy?"

"I have nothing to say to him. Nothing at all." Mystery turned his back and started walking. "Come on. If we hurry, we can stop Arthur from entering that accursed place."

As Vivi got into the van and started it, she asked, "Why? What's waiting for Arthur in the mountain?"

"The Psychomanteum. A place of distortion and madness. If we're too late, and Arthur's already entered, then he will have two possible outcomes. The first, if he's lucky, will be that he will be mentally scarred for life. If he's unlucky, the cursed mirrors in the Psychomantuem will flay his mind."


	17. Chapter 16: The Gates of Insanity

Arthur finally approached the foot of the mountain, after walking all day. He was starting to reach the end of his week ration packed by the Peppers, and he still had no plan for getting back into town. This whole trip had been a mess, from the very beginning, and he still had no idea why he was out here in the wilderness. He hadn't known since the beginning, but at least the time away from home had given him a chance to clear his head, at least somewhat. Yes, a lot of crap had happened to him during the last few adventures the gang had had together. But he had caused his own fair share of grief, too, and it was grief that could have been avoided. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was apologize and explain everything to Vivi. Even if she hated him after, at least she would know the truth.

Arthur reached the foot of the mountain by sundown. The peak stretched high, piercing the upper reaches of the sky as a weapon would skin. As he walked closer, he was the outline of the cave that the old man had spoken of. The arch of the mouth was inscribed with runic markings, all of which Arthur had no idea how to read. _Probably some old warning like 'watch your head', or something._ Arthur chuckled to himself, before he began walking past the mouth of the cave. However, as he did, he felt a chill wind blow up from inside the cave, one that robbed him of all the heat from the day. He wrapped his arms around himself, then…

…Then stopped, and thought. _Well, this is definitely the place. I guess I just…go in, then?_

 _–Hold on. Why am I going into this creepy place again?_

 _Because the old guy from the motel said that it would help me. Didn't go into any detail, but he still said that…_

 _–Okay, let's stop there. Why am I trusting a random old man, who I DON'T KNOW by the way, for advice on how to help with my social issues?_

 _Well, he said that—_

 _–How in the heck does coming out HERE help with my problem with Vivi? All you know is, you got some really vague advice from a freaky old man, not to mention a compass that points the wrong way, just so you could come out to a mountain that has a creepy cave in it? Really?!_

 _I guess I does sound kinda bad when you put it that way…_

 _–Exactly! To be honest, we'd be much better off just going home and telling Vivi the truth—if you can actually manage to do it this time._

 _I can do it!_

 _–oh, really? Just like how you 'could do it' all those other times, and you didn't?_

 _…That's not fair…_

 _–It's perfectly fair, and you know it. You've kept Vivi in the dark all this time, and not because you wanted to protect her. It was because of your own stupid, selfish…wait, what's that?_

Arthur looked up from his thoughts and turned towards the direction of the sound. It sounded…sounded like a car, in the distance. Arthur squinted his eyes, to try to make out what kind of car it was. Why did he recognize that yellow paint job…

…oh.

…That's why.

…Vivi had caught up to him.

…and she was driving _very_ fast.

Arthur heard something else, muffled by the sound of the van, but he wasn't sure wh-oh, yes, he knew what it was. It was Vivi's voice. And she was yelling at the top of her lungs at him from the van window where her head was sticking out. In the passenger seat next to her was Mystery.

The van pulled up next to Arthur at the mouth of the cave.

Arthur had never been so terrified of a van in his life.

Out from the van door burst a familiar blue shape. Vivi dashed over to Arthur and gave him the hug of a lifetime. Arthur's heart actually skipped a couple beats in excitement as he began to hug her back…

…And then, suddenly, he was on the ground. What? How had– what had just happened? And why did the left side of his face hurt so badly?

Vivi was standing over him, rapidly speaking: "Oh my gosh, Arthur, I'm so SORRY I didn't think that I actually hit you that hard I guess I should watch how I swing a little better but to be honest you had a lot of that swing coming and WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT HERE?!"

At the last bit, Vivi grabbed Arthur by the collar and pulled him upright to look him dead in the eye. Oh, so that's how it happened. Vivi had hit him. Arthur rubbed his jaw and the left side of his face before replying, "You know, I'm surprised you don't try boxing with a hook like that."

"Arthur, be serious. Do you know how long I've been trying to track you down?" Vivi let go of his collar and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "How long it's taken me to find you? Not to mention your uncle! Do you know how worried that poor man is? You up and leave, with almost no explanation, poor Lance could barely go to work when I found him!"

"I—I left a note…"

"LEAVING A NOTE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" Vivi was shouting now. "You can't just do something like this without TALKING to somebody first! Did you actually _tell_ anyone about you leaving?!"

"I—I…"

"WELL?!"

 _–Well, hero, now's your chance to come clean. Either way, don't think you can weasel out of this one._

"I–" But before Arthur could finish, Mystery hopped out of the van, barking madly at Vivi.

"What? What is it?" Vivi turned around to face him and ask. Mystery responded by pointing his nose at the sky, and growling.

Vivi and Arthur followed where he was pointing with their eyes. There in the sky, was a bright pink star in the twilight sky. Wait…was it a star? It looked like it was moving, getting closer…

And that's when Arthur's gut seized and twisted in fright. That was no star.

Arthur backed away slowly, away from Vivi and further into the cave entrance. Vivi cocked her head, confused, then turned to look at where Arthur was to face Mystery. "What IS that? Mystery, is that—"

"I'm afraid it is, Vivi. We have an old friend inbound, and rapidly approaching." Arthur heard a voice from Mystery's direction, and shifted his eyes to see. He saw a red glow emanating from the dog, and then a flash as it expanded into a massive, wolflike form. He recognized it immediately, and he shifted to protect his left side instinctively as cold fear reawakened in his chest. _It talks now. It's powerful, it's hungry, AND it's intelligent. Great._

Lewis was very close now, his silhouette now visible in front of the pink flames rocketing him towards the mountain. Needless to say, Arthur was starting to lose his cool. Actually, that was an understatement; Arthur was surprised he was still standing. Both the ghost that wanted to kill him and the demon that wanted to eat him were here, and a little too close for comfort. He started breathing faster, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. _Okay, okay, deep breaths, in, and out, in and –_

His thoughts were cut off by a deafening cry. Flailing his arms in a panic, Arthur looked at the source. Lewis had shifted in air, flying downwards, feet-first, and was preparing to land.

He hit the ground, hard, feet leaving a crater in the ground near the mountain. Slowly, he rose from his kneeling position as the dust settled. He raised his skull, pink orbs glowering in determined fury. His fists closed, becoming enshrouded in pink flames. He leapt forward, flying over the ground towards the trio, a deadly comet of vengeance.

Arthur couldn't even squeak as Lewis bore down on him. He was petrified, unmoving, even more scared than that night in the mansion. But just as Lewis was about to hit, a red blur tackled him from the side. Arthur and Vivi turned to see Lewis caught in Mystery's jaws. Mystery tossed him, away from the van and mountain, then turned to Vivi and said, "TAKE ARTHUR AND FLEE!"

"But—"

"NOW! I'll talk some sense into the ghostling. He won't outmatch me, no matter how strong he is."

Reluctantly, Vivi nodded and watched as Mystery raced off to grapple with Lewis, then turned to Arthur.

Except Arthur was gone.

Vivi looked all around her, to try to find him, see where he'd hidden himself, but then she saw where, in his panic, he was running for shelter.

"Arthur, NO! You can't go in there, it's—" She was cut off as she felt a rumbling in the earth. She looked at the roof of the cave. The roof was releasing a massive stone slab, closing them out, sealing Arthur IN.

"ARTHUR, GET BACK OUT HERE NOW!" Vivi started running towards the mouth of the cave, desperate to stop Mystery's prediction from becoming prophesy.

—–

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Lewis yelled at Mystery, fists flaming.

"Not until you calm down and listen to reason," Mystery said, nonchalantly pawing forward.

"You're stalling for Arthur to get away!"

"No, I'm saving you from making a grave mistake, one you will likely regret later."

Lewis began flying around Mystery, trying to get past, but everywhere he turned, the demon dog was there.

Frustrated, Lewis stomped his foot and said, "FINE! You want to try and stop me? Then come and GET SOME!" And he sprayed the air in front of him with fire, baking the dusty ground into glass. Mystery's form was obscured in the pink haze. The cloud of fire roiled and raged in front of Lewis for a moment, and he smiled to himself. But as he turned to fly, the cloud shifted, then collapsed inwards. He stared in disbelief as he saw his barrage shrunk and collapsed as Mystery breathed inwards, devouring the entire assault. Lewis was surprised, which is why his guard was down when Mystery breathed back out. Lewis felt the heat of his assault, now tinged a furious red, sent back to him in full force.

 _Oh. So THAT's what that feels like._

—-

Mystery watched as the youngling got up, slowly, beating out the red flames on his suit. Mystery could have done far worse to him if he wanted to, but his goal was to reason with him, not end him. He hoped that the breath attack he had used would take most of the fight out of him. "Are you _quite_ finished yet?"

"You'll have to kill me again before I quit!"

"No. I won't." With this, Mystery's eyes flashed red.

"E—Excuse m–"

Suddenly, the earth beneath Lewis was rent and splintered upwards around him. Lewis was entombed neck-deep in stone, a floating skull trapped on a curiously-shaped anthill.

Lewis stared at Mystery, dumbfounded. Vivi had told him back when he was alive that Telekinetics were only usable by Tier 4 and higher spirits. It was bad enough that Mystery was actually a spirit, but he was a powerful one too?

Mystery gave Lewis a supercilious glance through his trademark spectacles. "Are you done, or shall we continue?" Lewis stopped struggling, closed his eyes, and for a moment, Mystery thought he'd gotten through to the stubborn boy. Mystery then noticed, though, that in Lewis' earthen prison, the side facing him was bubbling, turning a bright pink until—

–Until a whirlwind of flames burst out from Lewis' trapped hands, breaking through the earth and spreading straight to the kitsune. Mystery took refuge behind his tails, using them as a shield. Lewis, having fully broken out of his shell, kept a continuous stream of fire on Mystery, walking around him as he did so. "You're not gonna stop me, dog!"

"Won't I? I'm keeping you here, aren't I?" Came the response.

Lewis was about to retort with his hottest flames when he heard something in the distance. It was a grinding sound, some kind of ancient mechanism, stone moving against stone. "What's that?" Lewis subconsciously stopped producing fire as he turned to look at the mountain.

"I hear it too. And I smell magic. Old, very old, but still potent. Something is happening over at that mountain." Lewis nearly jumped a foot in the air; Mystery had pawed up silently right next to him. _So much for our fight, I guess…_ Mystery continued on, "But what started it? Unless…" Mystery's eyes widened as he made some kind of realization.

Lewis narrowed his eye at Mystery. "What? Unless what?"

"Unless Vivi and Arthur went into the Psychomanteum for some reason, against my advice."

"What?!" Lewis exclaimed.

Mystery turned abruptly to Lewis and said, "Youngling, listen to me. The Psychomanteum is a dark place, and its tortures are something I would not wish on my worst enemy. Are you willing to put aside your revenge quest for now and help me save those two?"

"…Vivi's in danger?"

"Peril."

Lewis nodded his head once. "That's all you had to say."

With that, the two raced back towards the mountain, as quickly as they were able. Mystery called to Lewis as they ran, "Hurry! If that door closes before we get there, there will be no saving either of them!"

The landscape of the desert whirled by in a flash as the mountain grew in size with their approach. "You know, if you wanted to keep everyone away from this place, you could have fought me a little closer to the actual mountain!" Lewis remarked sarcastically.

"Save your wit for when this is over, boy."

They reached the cave entrance as the stone slab was reaching its fully closed position. With no time for a delay, Lewis phased through the stone and Mystery ducked under. Using his fire as a flare, Lewis scanned the cave for Arthur and Vivi frantically. Finally, he saw it: a flash of blue behind a rock, hiding. Lewis flew down and landed to face his former lover.

Lewis was greeted by a smack straight to the skull. Vivi was waiting, fists raised, Arthur hiding behind her. Once Lewis got his skull to stop spinning around, he faced Vivi with a confused look. She said to him with a determined look on her face, "Listen, buddy, I may remember bits and pieces about you now, but don't think that makes up for everything you did back at the mansion. Boyfriend-in-life or no, I'll still sock you square in the kisser before I let you hurt my friends!"

Lewis sighed, then reached his arm around Vivi's waist despite her protests, saying, "You'll thank me later."

Staring harshly at Arthur, he added, "for everything."

With that, he began to float up and towards the cave entrance, where Mystery was rushing in. Mystery bounded over rocks and stone, the wind in form. Mystery grabbed the still shaking Arthur by the back of his shirt, and flipped him up onto his back, where Arthur gripped like his life depended on it, partially because it actually did. Together, the four rushed back to the entrance.

But for all their speed, they were still too slow.

It was all they could do to slow down enough to not go crashing against the stone slab as it slammed shut, kicking up dust in the cave. Now in pitch dark, Lewis gently set Vivi down while he made another flare in his palm. Looking for a way to reopen the door, Lewis got the idea to phase back through the wall to look for a way to open it from the outside. "Hold, on, I'm gonna try something," he called back to the other three. He pressed his hands against the slab, preparing to phase back through.

He was greeted by a strong flash of magic, and was thrown backwards onto the floor. Vivi started to move to help him up, then hesitated until he stood back up on his own. "Well, so much for that idea," Lewis grumbled.

Mystery said to him, "I could have warned you. This place was made with the strongest of magics when it was built. No one may enter or exit until the Healing session has finished."

"Healing session? What does that mean?" Vivi chimed in.

"The Psychomanteum was built many eons ago, and was originally meant to be a place of healing for the mentally crippled. It was used for many years to cure the worst patients. However, eventually, the Psychomanteum began taking on thieves, murderers, criminals of the worst breed. This place was corrupted by their bloody sins, and was abandoned by its creators. Now it is a place of madness, and can only breed more madness."

"So then how do we get out?" Arthur aksed in a panicked voice.

Mystery looked at him with a pained expression before he finally said, "We won't. Not until we pass the Psychomanteum's tests.

…If we can survive them."


	18. Chapter 17: The Psychomanteum--I

Lewis fed his flare more heat, willed it to light up more of the room. He looked as far as he could see in the still-dim light, but the cave was large, and swallowed up his pink light easily. Lewis looked uncertainly at Mystery, who said to the four of them, "There's nothing for it. We can either brave the trials, or wait until we die here." With that, Mystery pawed forward, without hesitating. Arthur ran up in front of Mystery to block his path and asked, "Hold up. You just said that this place was a place of madness, corrupted with murderer's blood or something? And you want us to stay in here and put ourselves through that?!"

"Nothing you're not used to, Arthur. I'm sure you'd fit in just fine here." Lewis called over coldly to Arthur from where he was standing next to Vivi, staring him down.

"Hey, step off!" Vivi shoved Lewis away from her. "Arthur's been through enough!"

Lewis looked at her confusedly. "You—you're still taking his side?! Didn't you see the locket?"

"Yes, I did see the locket, and all it told me is that you can't let go of a grudge. I didn't even see everything all the way, it's all just fragments in my head right now. I still have to think hard to piece together some of the parts. And it's thanks to YOU that I can't think for too long about this junk!" Vivi pointed an accusing finger at Lewis.

"Thanks to…Vivi, you saw a traumatic experience, people block out memories like that all the tim—

"NO, this isn't a stupid PTSD block! I get migraines if I even THINK too hard now! I have whole patches still missing from my memory; I can't even remember your name! I can barely stand up straight if anyone even mentions pink to me now; just LOOKING at you is making my head throb! This is NOT a natural memory block! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

The cave went completely silent and still after Vivi stopped talking. Lewis' expression was one of silent horror as he listened to Vivi rant at him. Finally, Lewis looked down at his hand, then looked back at Vivi before slowly saying, "You…you don't even remember my name?"

"NO!" Vivi nearly screamed.

Lewis flinched at her reproach, then in an almost silent whisper said, "Lewis. My name is Lewis."

Arthur had seen Lewis seen Lewis sad before, but this, this wasn't sad. This was brokenness.

Lewis moved to say something else: "Vivi, I—"

Lewis' speech was cut off by another rumbling in the cave. The four looked around at the walls, then looked at Mystery for an explanation. Mystery looked back at the three of them blankly, then realized what they were asking. "Oh, just because I'm an old spirit, I must know about everything in the spirit world? I knew OF the Psychomanteum, but I was never ADMITTED here! I'm as in the dark as you three!" Before he could elaborate, though, stone suddenly erupted from the floor, in between the four of them, separating each member into a separate quarter of the cave.

Arthur rushed for the walls, tried to climb over, but they rose too quickly. Opposite from him, He could see a flash of light and Lewis' voice growl in anger. Lewis must have tried to phase through again, because Arthur heard him yell, "Stupid magic! Mystery, what's happening?"

Mystery's reply came loud and clear across all four rapidly closing chambers: "The Healing Session must be beginning! Brace yourselves! And no matter what, do NOT lose your grip on reality!"

Before Arthur could ask how he was supposed to do that, the walls slammed shut on the ceiling, cutting off all light and sound from the other chambers. The blind silence was stifling, almost choking. Arthur felt along the walls, searching for an opening, some way out. Before he could, though, he felt something cool rushing against his leg. Water? No, it was fluid, but it didn't really feel like water felt. It felt grainier, sharper, like cold sand, almost…metallic.

Arthur fumbled for the flashlight in his pocket, and as he turned it on, he saw something that astounded him. Rushing under his feet was what appeared to be liquid metal. Arthur's mind instantly jumped to thoughts of liquid Mercury and fatal poisoning, but then he thought again. Mercury was a toxin, why would it be kept in a former place of healing? He watched as the metal tide washed across the room from a small drain in the floor, and up the wall into a large, elliptical groove cut into the stone wall. The metal filled the space, then stopped shimmering and congealed, becoming a solid reflective surface.

A mirror?

Arthur cautiously stepped forward, reaching out towards his reflection in the dim light of the flashlight. His fingers brushed against the cool, reflective metal, no signs left of its change in state of matter.

That was when the room went beserk on him.

The mirror expanded outwards, formed a group of panels that surrounded him. Arthur was surrounded by six reflections of himself, all looking as terrified as he was. That is, until they started moving on their own. They went and started moving up to the edge of the glass, pressing their hands against the surface. Their eyes were closed, their foreheads pressed against the thin membrane separating them from their scared, confused source. Their mouths began to move, began to speak in hushed tones. Arthur, as scared as he was, became curious, and edged slowly closer to listen to them speak. He pressed his ear against the surface of one of the mirrors. And he heard a voice whisper to him.

 ** _Sinner._**

Arthur removed his head and stared at the reflection, stunned into silence. What had it said?

 ** _Traitor._**

Arthur turned his head to look behind him; this time, it came from the mirror behind him. No. No way that—

 ** _Murderer._**

This time, it came from the right. As one, the Reflections raised their heads. What Arthur saw was a terrifying sight of poison-green irises, not his eyes. They returned to their chanting, faces accusatory, demanding a response.

"No, you—you can't–"

Arthur was cut off as they raised their voices above his: **_Betrayer. Killer. Corrupted. Villain_** _._

"You're not real. Mystery said you're not real. You—y-you can't hurt me." Arthur sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, not the Reflections.

 ** _Assassin._**

Arthur fell on his knees, the verbal assault ringing in his ears longer than it should.

 ** _Executor._**

He pressed his hands against his ears, trying to blot out the sound. "Stop it…" he said quietly, desperately.

 ** _Bloodstained._**

"Stop it stop it STOP IT!" Arthur ran at the Reflections, raising his prosthetic to smash the mirror.

His metal arm rebounded off the surface of the mirror in a shower of sparks, without leaving so much as a scratch on the surface. The Reflections pressed on.

 ** _Ruiner._**

 ** _Destroyer._**

 ** _Vile._**

 ** _Lustful._**

At the last one, Arthur looked around, panicked. This wasn't some preprogrammed sequence of words. They were actively reading his crimes out to him, like some kind of perverted trial. It was terrifying. Mystery wasn't kidding when he said that this place was a site of madness. Seeing himself like that, evil, accusatory—not himself—it was enough to shake even the bravest man, let alone Arthur. And the Reflections knew it. He would be his own judge, jury, and executioner—if he couldn't find some way out of here.

"I—I don't know what you want from me!" Arthur tried to tell the mirrors. He wanted them to stop, more than anything, he wanted them to stop. Their words were worming into his head, gnawing at the edges of his sanity like moth-maggots, threatening to send it unraveling and spooling across the floor in heaps and scraps of string, in a ruin. He tried pleading, swearing, bargaining, but the Reflections were ever unsatisfied. They didn't stop their chanting for anything.

Not even for when they caught fire.

 ** _Your sins have left scars, scars that plague their victims like fire. Should you claim them, they will see you burn._**

The voices spoke in unison, as they were engulfed in emerald flames, green light obscuring their forms. The flames moved to the mirror in front of Arthur, where they parted to reveal a new shape. An imposing creature, slender, obscured by the light of the flames. Her silhouette was thin, harsh, her four elegant arms positioned in a fighting pose, brimming with deadly resolve. The only detail that could be seen of the demon was her poison-green irises as she stared judgement into Arthur. The voices changed now, became a deep female voice, a voice as strong as the terrible power she radiated. "Let me out, Arthur." Arthur stepped back, then tripped and fell onto his backside. He continued backed away on the floor, as far as he could, until his back hit the mirror behind him. "Let. Me. OUT." She pressed against the mirror, and as she did, it started to fragment, crack at her touch. She would be upon him any moment now, and there was nowhere to run.

"Just stop. Please, just stop." Arthur whispered, hands clutching his head in defeated surrender.

The silhouette responded by lunging, through the mirror to take him.

That was the last thing Arthur remembered, before darkness took him.

—–

Arthur awoke to the sound of howling and shattering glass around him. His sleep had not been dreamless, unfortunately; he had had dreams of darkness, chaos, and damnation. And fire, especially fire, and stone. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking around. The mirrors had shattered around him, and one of the walls had a massive gaping hole, where evening starlight was shining through. And in the hole was standing Lewis. He walked casually over to Arthur, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, raised him to eye level.

Lewis' voice was deadly quiet as he spoke to Arthur: "Hey there, old buddy. Having a good time? I hope so. The rest of us sure have, especially since it was YOUR FAULT we got stuck in here to begin with."

"Lewis, I…I—"

"Save it. Normally, for the trouble you've caused, I'd burn you alive right here." Arthur gulped, thoughts going back to his experience. He was surprised Lewis could stand. Had his chamber gone easy on him? Arthur could barely think straight from _his_ ordeal; he felt neurotic, frayed, mind dancing on the outskirts of reality and oblivion.

"But unfortunately for you, someone wants to meet you."

Arthur would have cocked his head in confusion, if he wasn't so tired. He wanted rest, more than anything he wanted rest, but he worried that he might never sleep again now.

"Thanks to you, Vivi thinks I'm a monster. If only she knew the whole truth. But don't worry; you'll get what's coming to you soon enough. For now, let's just take a little flight, shall we?" And Lewis slung Arthur over his shoulders, and prepared to leave the cave.

Arthur tried to lift his arm to fight, in vain; every nerve in his body was electrified, and he felt numb all over. Without any further delay, Lewis floated off of the ground, and flew out of the hole in the cave. As he did, he hissed to Arthur: "And, by the way: I hope that little episode in the cave hurt. I _really_ hope it hurt. Because if it didn't, I'll just have to make up for the missed pain when we get there."

Arthur looked back at the rapidly shrinking mountain, as Lewis took him away. As he did, he saw a dust cloud, and crumbling stone, and he thought he heard howling again…but he wasn't sure. All he could do is hope Mystery got Vivi out alive, as he sunk into true, blissfully blank unconsciousness.


	19. Chapter 18: The Psychomanteum--II

Vivi was thrown off balance when the floor started rumbling, otherwise she would have run and jumped over the rock to regroup with Arthur or Mystery. As it was, Vivi recovered from her confusion almost immediatley and rushed for the rising wall. Unfortunately, by the time she reached it, it was already too high, and all she could do was listen to her friends call over the wall before it shut.

"Stupid magic! Mystery, what's happening?"

"The Healing Session must be beginning! Brace yourselves! And whatever you do, do NOT lose your grip on reality!"

Vivi began to call over the wall, "Mystery, what's going to happen? We don't know what to expect!" but the wall finished closing before she could even get her first word out.

Before she could feel for a way out in the pitch-darkness, she saw a flickering light come on above her. Mystery wasn't kidding, this place must have been abandoned a long, long time ago; everything was in a state of disrepair, when it even worked. With the dying light's help, she saw that there was a strange, silvery substance oozing out from a small drain in the floor. It moved around her feet, formed a ring around her, then expanded upwards, forming six identical panels around her. _Ooookaaaay…_ Vivi thought to herself, as she looked at each of the panels. They were plain, undecorated, and reflective. Except, instead of seeing her face when she looked at one, she saw the back of her head. Each of her reflections was facing away from her, even when she looked directly at it. _This must be the 'Healing' that Mystery was talking about. But what I don't get is how this works for me. I don't get scared like Arthur does, I'm not out for revenge like Lewis, how am I gonna be…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise that she heard, seemingly coming from the mirror.

Tentatively, she walked towards the mirror in front of her, and reached out her hand. As she did, the Reflection jumped in surprise, as if it could feel her touch. It turned to look at her, and she saw…

She saw pink eyes look back at her. No irises, no whites; the entire eye was pink. The Reflection lost its balance and stumbled, relying on some out-of-sight support in the mirror to hold itself up. The Reflection clutched her head with her free hand, then, with a strange sigh, she collapsed, unmoving, on the floor of the reflection. Vivi wasn't sure what was happening, but she didn't think she liked it. Suddenly, a familiar voice boomed above her: **_This is what happened to you._**

Vivi turned to look for the voice, startled by its suddenness. It sounded…like her voice. But how did it know what she sounded like? Mystery had said that this place would try to play games for your mind, but she didn't think that it would be this bad…

 ** _And this,_** the voice continued, **_is what was spared you._**

The reflection changed, reverted to one of a setting beyond the mountain. It was a place that, despite her memory loss, Vivi remembered well. It was the site of the accident, the Diablo Caves. Vivi looked at the mirror closely, and saw some familiar events unfolding. The van approached the cave, and four familiar figures got out. A large pink-haired man, a blonde boy hiding behind him, and a red dog tentatively trailing behind the leader, a girl in blue. The four entered the ominously glowing cave. The mirror zoomed in, allowing Vivi to see their faces. So far, everything was in line with what had really happened; Vivi didn't really see how she had been 'spared' anything yet.

Then, Vivi saw what the voice had been speaking of. The four walked through the winding caverns of the cave, then stopped as the cave branched off in two directions. If the mirror stayed true, Vivi would go down while the boys would go up. Arthur had insisted on it, said he had a really bad feeling about…something. He wouldn't go into detail, but Vivi had written it off as merely nerves. Of course, maybe he was just still upset about the issues that he had walked in on earlier.

Vivi remembered, vaguely now, that there had been a bit of a fight before the cave incident. She remembered Lewis and she getting into an argument, probably something about her problems about leaving the boys alone. Their last few busts had gone a bit messy, and Vivi was left to clean up a big mess. Vivi wasn't happy about that. Even though it wasn't really Lewis' fault, she still didn't like how he and Arthur always managed to get into trouble somehow. _I guess I forgot more than just what I needed to, then,_ Vivi thought to herself, resentment rising up in her again. Before she could dwell on it, though, the mirror's scene began to move again, and Vivi refocused on the tale being told.

Instead of what happened that night, though, Vivi saw something different unfold. This time, she took the higher pathway, while the boys took Mystery and inspected the floor of the cave. She saw herself look down on the wide expanse of stalagmites on the floor. She watched, carefully, meticulously, making sure they didn't do anything dumb, like they always did. **_Having some trouble with friends, are we? Isn't that precious?_**

Vivi heard a voice in her mind, deep, female, and commanding. **_If you like, I can take the reins, for a bit. Well, then again, I'm taking them whether you like it or not._** With that, Vivi felt a strange, tingling sensation crawl up her arm, then numbness as the sensation went further, stretched past her shoulder, and into the rest of her body.

Possession. She was being possessed. The thought was terrifying, but it had happened so quickly, there was nothing she could do about it now. The voice spoke again in her mind, **_Ahh, this body is young and strong. It should serve me well. The only problem is, it's occupied._**

Vivi got a terrible creeping feeling as she thought about what was coming next.

 ** _Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of sharing. So, I'm afraid, since there's no space for the two of us here, I'm going to have to clear some room._**

Vivi's dread grew into terror as she saw her point of view tilt forward, until she was flying off of the cliff's edge, and plummeting down onto the bed of death below.

She almost felt real pain in her chest as she watched the fake Vivi hit the stalagmites. It was gruesome, horrifying to watch oneself be killed. Then she heard the screams. Arthur and Lewis had heard the noise of Vivi's fall and were running towards her body. Vivi wanted to cry out, _no, NO, that's not me anymore, it's something else, you need to get away!_

But it was no use, Lewis had taken her face into his hands, and was calling her name. The girl's closed eyes suddenly snapped open, her blue irises now tinged a deadly green. With a sickening noise, the demon extricated itself from the spike, not noticing the gaping hole in its chest. Arthur and Lewis backed away slowly, terror in their eyes, while Mystery, in front of them, growled and snarled in anger.

Lewis called one last time, "V-Vivi?"

The demon replied, **_"I'm terribly sorry, but Vivi isn't here right now. And unfortunately, I don't think she'll be coming back."_** With that, Vivi watched as Mystery suddenly flashed red, his form expanding to that of his kitsune form, and he leaped for Vivi's body. He was stopped, in midair, as green bonds appeared around his limbs and tails, holding him in midair. "RELEASE THE GIRL!" Mystery roared at the demon, only to have his snout muzzled as Vivi waved her hand and another green bond appeared around his mouth.

 ** _"Ooh, another spirit? Well, aren't we keeping interesting company, my dear boys?"_**

"Who are you? What do you want?" Arthur called out from behind Lewis, too terrified to stand up, probably both from the demon and from the sudden change of Mystery.

Vivi's face curled into an evil smile before replying, ** _"The End."_**

With that, Vivi's body began to turn the same tinge of green that her eyes were, while the whites of her eyes faded to black. Her hair grew long and changed to silver, and two extra arms sprouted from either side. Before long, all traces of what made Vivi _Vivi_ were gone, and standing before them was a terrifying green spirit, graceful and terrible, with a gaping, circular hole in her chest where Vivi's had been.

 ** _"And I am going to finish what I started."_**

Arthur looked at the demon with confusion, he didn't know what she meant. **_"But first,"_** And the demon lowered herself into a crouching stance, **_"A bit of fun."_**

And the last thing Vivi saw in the mirror was a form that was once her body, lunging at her friends, eyes steeled to kill.

Vivi watched numbly as the mirrors faded to black, and the fluid slowly retreated back into the floor, hesitatingly, as if the mirror was going through some sort of glitch. She was stunned, to say the least. Had she made one wrong move in that cave a year ago, she and all of her friends would have perished there.

And then she realized, with a horrifying revelation: Arthur had taken the fall for her. Arthur had taken the fall for ALL of them, except maybe Lewis, but Lewis still came back. And Lewis wanted to kill Arthur for what he did. Arthur probably hated himself for what he did. Vivi was probably the only one who knew this. Doubtless the others' mirrors were showing them other things. She had to find a way to tell Lewis.

And she had to say sorry. Her last words before this whole thing happened bounced back cruelly in her mind: _you did this to me._ Lewis had wanted to help, if he had even done it on purpose. Just like Arthur. Armed with these thoughts, Vivi looked for a way out of the chamber. There were no openings, aside from the small drain where the mirror fluid had come from. So how was she supposed to—

–And then Vivi had to hold her ears shut tight as she heard a howling wail from beyond the walls. She recognized that howl.

Mystery.

Vivi was stunned that she could even hear him, the fact that She could hear him at all through the stone walls was impressive enough, let alone this loud. Then she saw how she could hear him. Next to her, on one of the walls, a red circle was appearing, bubbling, melting through the stone. Vivi got a sudden, instinctual urge to get out of the way of the circle. And it's a good thing that she did, because as soon as she was clear, the rocks of the wall, now white hot, came bursting and oozing off of the wall, crushing anything in its way. Mystery bounded through the fresh hole that had been made, immediately coming to Vivi's side.

"Vivi, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did the mirrors hurt you? Can you hear me?" Mystery's face was lit with a note of panicked concern, one that Vivi had never seen before.

"I-I'm fine, just a little shaken. But we need to get out, we need to get to Lewis's chamber and talk some sense into him before he—"

Just then, Vivi felt rumbling as she heard fires roaring in the next room. Running and jumping through the hole Mystery had made, Vivi saw another hole linked to Lewis' chamber. Lewis was gone, and Vivi got a sinking feeling that he had taken Arthur with him. Vivi checked Lewis' chamber and saw two more holes, the first connecting to what must have been Arthur's chamber, and the fourth leading outside. Vivi checked the one leading outside and saw her fears confirmed: she could see a pink flaming dot on the horizon, slowly shrinking. It would soon be out of sight. Mystery, who was next to Vivi, saw as well, and he said, "The boy is off to do his revenge undisturbed."

"Come on! We've got to catch up! Can you go fast enough to keep up? We can't lose them!"

Mystery gave Vivi a smirk and replied, " _Can_ I?"

Vivi, not wasting any time, climbed up onto Mystery's back. "Full steam, Mystery, we have to stop Lewis!"

Mystery laughed and said, "Full steam? Well, if you insist."

With that, the duo bounded out of the cave and pursued after Lewis' trail, Mystery's howl trailing on the wind behind them.


	20. Chapter 19: The Psychomanteum--III

Mystery called over the wall as he heard Lewis ask him what was happening, "The Healing Session must be beginning! Brace yourselves! And no matter what, do NOT lose your grip on reality!" As he finished, the stone finished slamming shut, blocking out all outside light and sound.

Mystery hoped that the others would be alright. In the meantime, he would have to wait for the opportunity to break everyone out. This wasn't the first time that he had been forced to intervene on the behalf of the group. He had done many things for the sake of Lewis, Arthur, and Vivi, things that they weren't even aware of. The poor trio seemed to have a knack for walking into trouble, and Mystery had taken it upon himself to make sure that it never got out of hand. For the most part, the group had been lucky enough to escape no worse for wear.

Until the incident at the cave, anyway.

Mystery still felt guilt about that. He could have done something more, _should_ have done something more. Vivi's lover needn't have died, if only he'd managed to be more persuasive.

He soon realized that he wouldn't be allowed to dwell, though, because he felt something rush near his paws. A silvery fluid came spiraling out of a drain in the center of the floor of his chamber, and webbed outward, like roots of a metallic plant. The fluid spiraled out, and formed a ring around Mystery, before rising upwards, creating panels around him, hexagonal in shape. He saw himself in the mirror, but then he saw something that was not himself.

He saw a demon, black as coal, with eyes that burned like stars in their cold fury. This was a being that was older than him, and far less kind.

 ** _You do not even recognize what you used to be anymore._**

Mystery heard the voice that imitated his own, but immediately he began to prepare his mental defenses. _The others will need me to break them out, I can't let this old contraption get to me._

 ** _You claim to be noble, but you cannot escape what you were. What you are._**

Mystery closed his eyes, trying to blot out the voice with his own thoughts. He didn't need a mirror to remember what it was that the Psychomanteum would have him remember. He remembered all too well…

—–

 _I remember the spirits that were playing in the fields, splashing in the rivers, nesting in the trees. I remembered back when the world was young, back when he was young. Back when the world was pure, and spirits were more numerous than humans. I remember the day I first drew breath, the day I started to walk. I had only one tail then, and was smaller than the dog-skin is now. I was created, I was given, as a present from one to another. I was meant to be a reminder of their love. I remember how quickly I went from being a beloved friend to a servant in a matter of years, a blink of an eye to someone like me. Some spirits were becoming too dark for the world's safety, my mistress told me, and they needed to be removed. She said it was time we put that ravenous appetite of mine to good use. I remember my first victim under my mistress. How the spirit fought to keep control of his land he had claimed, but he fell to my mistress easily. I was then instructed to do something I had never been told to do before:_

 _Devour._

 _I stared at my mistress in shock. I had never been instructed to end another being before. It was against everything my mistress stood for. Why would she go against her code now? She was changing, becoming different than I knew her. Reluctantly, though, I obeyed. The spirit, terrified, became mist and struggled to get away as I inhaled, sucking the spirit's essence into my body. I doubt I will ever forget the way that spirit looked at me. I can feel the spirit's essence and power becoming my own, making me stronger, but it is a sore recompense for how I feel. My mistress puts her hand on my shoulder. She tells me that I have done well. I'm surprised to notice that I have grown in size, and I have another tail now. At least the spirit's strength won't go to waste. My mistress tells me she is proud of me, that I am helping nature take its course. I smile up at her. Perhaps this isn't so bad…_

 _As the years pass, I dispatch hundreds of corrupted spirits for my mistress. I begin to take relish in the act; I become excited for the chance for grow stronger, to please my mistress. I look forward to our hunting days, as they become time for us to spend together._

 _And then, that day happened._

 _I am summoned, and my mistress tells me that we are approaching my most difficult quarry yet. I brace myself, and prepare for the coming fight._

 _But when we arrive, I see nothing but an empty field, filled with small, infant spirits. Their golden orb bodies are light, and they leap through the air with a youthful glee. I watch, mesmerized by their happiness. I stay still, unmoving, until my mistress disturbs me. She tells me to focus, to do what I was made for. I hesitate, look at my mistress. I ask what these creatures have done that merits death. She responds with an angry glare that I have never received before. She tells me that their mother has dared to rise against my mistress's authority, and so she must be punished. By devouring her children, I will ensure that she never steps out of line again. Horrified I tell her that this is not the way to teach, that there are better ways than this. She raises her hand, towards me, and I crouch, in fear of her, as she snaps her fingers. Thorny vines instantly rise up from the ground, surround and grab me. Their thorns cut my flesh, wound both my pride and my body. My mistress has never disciplined me before. Not like this._

 _The vines retreat back underground, and my mistress tells me that she hopes I will think twice before speaking my mind out of turn again. She tells me to do as I am told, that it is not my place to think about my duty, only to carry it out. I stare, stunned at my mistress. This is not the same woman I was given to as a youngling. She has changed. She is no longer the bright and happy caretaker she once was. I think back to one of my previous missions. The spirits I was sent to dispatch called me "The Devourer." I realize what I have done, and then, I turn to my mistress, and I tell her no._

 _She asks me to think very carefully about my current tone, and I tell her I will not be kept silent anymore. She tells me that whether I carry out her will or no, it will still be done. I back away, as she raises her arms, and her cherry-pink magic sweeps outward. From the forest nearby, I see two shapes float outside. One of them is a dark green cloud, the other is a sparkling golden one. With her magic, my mistress separates the two entities, and I hear a cry of despair as she does so. The green entity is warped away with a flash of cherry light, and the golden entity is pushed backwards into the forest. The small golden orbs cry out in fear as they see their mother confined to the forest. They fly after her as a cherry glow emanates from the forest. I desperately ask my mistress what she has done. She responds by telling me that the two entities were challenging her power over nature, and she had to make sure that they never challenge her again. I step back, horrified. My mistress turns to leave, and she calls for me to attend to her. But I only barely hear her. I am already sprinting away. I don't know what has come over my mistress, but I will have no part in it any longer. I run as fat and as far as my legs will carry me, over deserts, oceans, and plains. All I want is to make sure she never uses me to hurt anyone ever again._

 _For the next few eons, I make sure that I only feed upon dark spirits, ones who use their powers for evil purposes. I grow strong off of their power, and I live in relative peace for many years. Until, eventually, she found me again._

 _It was a desperate struggle, and one that nearly exhausted me. I never found out the entirety of what happened, but I do remember this: my former mistress had me in her grasp, and was preparing to send me back to our old home, but I had grown in strength since our last meeting. My magic must have reacted somehow with hers, because when her spell moved me, I was not in her home._

 _I was in a large field, almost as small as I was as an infant, and nearly powerless. I wandered through that field for quite some time, until I came across something I did not expect._

 _I found a trio of humans. A mother, a father, and a daughter. The daughter sees me, and runs over to pet me. She cannot be more than six years old. Normally, I would be able to send her back to her parents with one steely glance, but I am so exhausted, I decide to humor the girl. Her hair is blue; it's an unusual color for human hair. It cannot be natural, can it? Neither of the parents have it._

 _It is strange. I have always tried to avoid humans whenever I can. They always tend to fear that which they don't understand, and I don't blame them, being as powerful as I am. But this girl…she doesn't seem to be afraid. She embraces me and pats my head, giggling. Her embrace is warm and loving, not unlike my mistress was when I first knew her. This…this is nice. I decide to play the dog for now, and lick her face. This sends her into another fit of laughter, and for the first time in a long while, I smile._

—–

Mystery opened his eyes and saw the reflection again. This dark being…This is what he looked like to his enemies. The epithet of "The Devourer" rung harshly in his ears. Then he thought to himself, _This is how Vivi sees me now. This is how they all see me now. Whatever it is that I had, I've lost it now, all because I let them know the truth._ The mirror responded to his thoughts, **_You have nothing now. You lost everything when you left your first master, and now your second master will reject you of her own will. All that you have left is HER._**

And in that moment, another form appeared in the mirror. This one was all too familiar to Mystery, despite the centuries that had passed. The silhouette was of his mistress, and her symbol, the ever-blossoming lotus, was in her hand. The symbol of the Caretaker. The entity that had claimed the world as her garden, and as such, she would grow to fruition—or uproot—any being that she saw fit.

"No. I won't go back. I _cannot_ go back." Mystery said to the reflection, desperately.

The mirror replied: **_Come back to me, youngling. I am your only mistress, your only guidance._**

She began to step through the mirror, slowly piercing the veil that separated them.

 ** _You are lost without my guidance. Without my care._**

 ** _Submit._**

 ** _Submit._**

 ** _SUBMIT._**

"Your care brought me to end thousands of innocents! I will NEVER GO BACK TO YYYOOOOUUUU!"

Mystery's last word to the mirror turned into a fierce and powerful howl that sent the Reflection stumbling back. The sheer force of the sound sent the mirror fracturing, cracking, and finally, shattering to pieces upon the floor.

Surprised that his attack had worked, Mystery looked down at the shards, still whispering garbled words at him, still trying to fulfill their purpose. The mirrors must have lost their strength with age; had he known that would work, he would have tried it as soon as he was trapped. Without stopping any longer, Mystery turned his attention to one of the walls. He howled again, channeling force into his voice. He carved a neat, circular hole into the center of the wall.

Except it was the wrong room; Vivi wasn't here. Lewis was in this chamber, lying unconscious on the ground, his flaming hair out. Turning to the opposite wall, Mystery did the same here and burned another hole into what he hoped was Vivi's chamber.

He bounded through, then found her, huddled in the corner, eyes wide.

"Vivi, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did the mirrors hurt you? Can you hear me?"

He looked into her eyes in the brief moments that it took her to respond. They were plagued by doubt. Doubt of what kind, though? Then Mystery thought: _Oh, no. The mirrors must have shown her something about me. She fears me._

 _She really fears me_. Mystery didn't let it show, but in that moment, true despair gripped him more than any other emotion.

Finally, Vivi replied, "I-I'm fine. Just a little shaken. But we need to get out, we need to get to Lewis before he—"

Before she could finish, though, he pricked up his ears, as he heard fires roaring in Lewis' chamber. Mystery bounded through the other hole.

He was too late. Damn it all! He shouldn't have left the ghostling alone, he had _known_ that something like this would happen! He could barely see Lewis, a small burning pink star against the darkening twilight sky.

Sadly, he turned to Vivi and said, "He has gone to do his revenge undisturbed."

Vivi turned to Mystery and grabbed him by the shoulders. She looked him in the eye and said, "Come on! We've got to catch up! Can you go fast enough to keep up? We can't lose them!"

Mystery's heart fluttered in his chest. _Maybe she isn't so afraid of me, after all._ " _Can_ I?"

Vivi went behind him and climbed up onto his back and said "Full steam, Mystery, we have to stop Lewis!"

Mystery smiled as he looked out at the horizon where Lewis was travelling. _Riding on my back, just like when she was young. Life and death or no, this might actually be fun._ "Full steam? Well, if you insist."

With that, Mystery bounded after Lewis, hot on his scent, and left the Psychomanteum, and its accursed memories, in the dust.

With any luck, those accursed memories will stay there and die with that place.


	21. Chapter 20: The Psychomanteum--IV

Lewis attempted to phase through the wall, but was sent backpedaling as the same flash of magic greeted his palms. Frustrated, he stomped his foot on the ground, before calling up over the rising stone, "Stupid magic! Mystery, what's happening?"

He heard Mystery respond by saying, "The Healing Session must be beginning! Brace yourselves! And no matter what, do NOT lose your grip on reality!"

That was the last thing Lewis heard from the other three, as the walls slammed closed, and all was silent.

Lewis held up his palm, and summoned a flame to light up the now pitch-dark room. Revealed by the dancing pink light, Lewis saw grooves in the floor in what was otherwise an undecorated stone cavern. Grooves? Maybe for some kind of mechanism? Before Lewis could look on any further, he heard an unusual gurgling in the floor. He looked under his feet and saw a small drain in the floor. There seemed to be something glittering down inside it. He knelt down to get a closer look, but soon realized that there was no need, because it was coming up towards him. He stepped away as a strange metallic fluid rushed out of the drain. It snaked upward in the air, and started to branch out in a ring shape. But before it could finish its pattern, it stopped, and hovered in the air, completely still. The blobs of liquid metal twitched in air, as one, before snapping back to their original ring pattern. They started to lose their shape, began forming branching patterns, seemingly at random. Mystery had said that this place was ancient. Whatever magic was at play here, it had to be really, really old by now. Could magic break down? Lewis didn't know. Another question to ask Mauta later, he supposed.

Even if–whatever this stuff is–is broken, it was pretty beautiful, in the way it made new shapes. Hesitantly, he reached out with one hand and touched a floating fleck. The mercurial substance reacted violently, shifting back into glitching patterns, shifting unnaturally. Lewis backed away, thinking he may have done something he wasn't supposed to.

The ring bubbled, shifted, and then abruptly stopped, encasing Lewis in a group of hexagonal panels. They darkened, slowly, as Lewis stood ready, fists flaming. _Great, what now?_

 ** _A dead one._**

Lewis looked behind him as he heard a voice. He called out, "Who's there?"

 ** _Murdered in his prime._**

Slowly, Lewis realized what was happening. _The room is…talking to me?_

 ** _We are sorry for your loss._**

A talking room was offering him condolences for his own death. Now Lewis had seen and heard everything.

 ** _Your loss of life._**

Lewis was catapulted into a vision from back when he was alive: hurtling through the air and towards a final destination: death by impaling.

 ** _Your loss of happiness._**

Lewis' vision changed to the Diablo Caves, where he had first met Mauta. He heard himself say, "All I want is to give him what he deserves."

 ** _Your loss of friendship._**

Now he saw the mansion where had hunted Arthur down into a corner where he had prepared to land the killing blow when Vivi had stepped between them and–

 ** _Your loss of love._**

–and then she was running. Running away from him. Running away from him _with_ _Arthur._ Then she vision shifted and he saw Vivi shouting at him not ten minutes ago.

 _You did this to me._

She was right. As always. He had been bad for her from the beginning. How had it taken him this long to see it? He loved her, still, but now, there was no way she felt the same. Not anymore. Not after all this. She had been through too much, at his hands, to feel the same way.

More than anything, Lewis just wanted everything back to the way it was before. Before everything in his world had gone wrong. He wanted his girl back, he wanted his friend back, he wanted his _life_ back.

But his life was over. All because Arthur had taken it from him. Everything was set into motion because of Arthur's jealousy, and that was why everything was the way it was.

 ** _So quick to shift the blame._**

 ** _So quick that you do not give yourself time to consider possibilities._**

Lewis looked around at the mirrors. What did that mean?

 ** _Impatient._**

 ** _Irrational._**

 ** _Fueled by nothing but rage._**

The mirrors were talking about _him_? He wasn't irrational! He just…got a little heated sometimes, that's all! To say that he was fueled by rage…well, yes he did get a small power boost when he was mad, but that—he wasn't angry all of the time!

The mirrors kept pressing onward, showing him flashing images of him. They weren't from a view he recognized though—they weren't from his eyes. They were from Arthur's. He could see himself pointing an accusing finger at Arthur, chasing Arthur, Vivi and Mystery through the mansion. He saw Arthur trapped, and his form, enshrouded in fire, charging to crush Arthur, until Vivi intervened. He offered his heart to her, but she held her hands out hesitatingly, confused. And now he knew why.

Next thing he knew, they were running away from him, and his anger—maybe it was a bit out of control—was building up inside of him, bubbling over, until it finally burst forth, flooding the hallway in fire. Lewis watched as the fire neared the trio of his friends, and he was stunned to see their faces. They were terrified, even Vivi. They had barely made it out of that hallway alive, all thanks to Lewis' temper problems.

It's Arthur's fault.

 ** _Passing the blame._**

Who else's could it be?

 ** _Denying your hand in days past._**

 _My position is reactionary, it never would have happened if Arthur hadn't—_

 ** _Destroying futures yet to be._**

Well, that one was new. Destroying futures? Like the one that Arthur had taken from him and Vivi? _That_ kind of future? Because if Lewis had the chance to take that away from Arthur, he would in a heartbeat.

 ** _Is destruction all you know now?_**

The voices were becoming irritating. Their words rang in Lewis' skull longer than they should, confusing him. He really wanted the voices to stop taking, more than anything now, he wanted silence.

 ** _Love, replaced by Anger._**

Get out of my head.

 ** _Friendship, replaced by Animosity._**

Get out of my HEAD.

 ** _Happiness, replaced by Ruin._**

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Lewis shouted, sending fire against all of the voices. They did not respond with words, but with images, replaying the scenes of his death faster. The scene rolled out before Lewis again and again, until, after screaming himself hoarse and searing the walls with enough heat to reduce a forest to ash, the mirrors, unaffected by his yelling and fire, went completely black.

Then, one slowly lit up again, the one in front of him, lit with his reflection. He saw himself only, the mirror wasn't changing his reflection at all. Had he broken it?

 ** _Is this what you are?_**

Then the mirror shifted, rippling like water in a pond. And the image shifted with it. Lewis was greeted now by an image he never wanted to see again.

 ** _Are you a man, or his wounds? Are you THIS?_**

Lewis saw an image of himself, before he became a ghost. His eyes were blank, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and in the center of his chest was a massive hole, cut into him by tragedies past.

Lewis stumbled backward, his own memories replaying trauma. Lewis remembered the pain viscerally; the gushing, the pulsing, and the all too welcome drift into unconsciousness.

 ** _Are you your wounds?_**

 ** _Do your wounds define you?_**

 ** _Do your wounds sustain you?_**

 ** _The very thing that gives you reason to go on…_**

Lewis felt shaky, his legs starting to give out underneath him…

… ** _Is the thing that killed you._**

And just as he had in the cave a year ago, Lewis felt his mind slip into that slow, welcome blankness that he had been reborn from.

Lewis awoke to the sound of howling. He slowly stood up, carefully. The mirrors were shattered into fragments on the floor. How had that happened? Lewis then realized something: his hair was out. Hastily flaring his hair back to life upon his head, Lewis stopped. _There's enough light to see in here now without my fire? What happened while I was…_

 _…Oh. That's what happened._

He saw behind him and next to him, neatly burned holes in the walls of the cavern. Mystery must have made them. One of them led outside to the desert beyond. Then Lewis had an idea.

Carefully peeking past the lip of one of the holes, he heard Mystery and Vivi's voices talking. _Good, she's okay._ Lewis felt a rush of relief. Even if she hated him, at least she could hate him alive. Which freed him up to get around to what he had come here to do in the first place.

Turning to the opposite wall, Lewis quietly burned a hole into the opposing chamber. Heaving stone out of the way, Lewis found Arthur exactly where he had hoped. He was alone, slumped on the ground, unconscious. Lewis walked forward, his anger brimming up again as he saw his murderer face to face once more. He grabbed Arthur by the collar, and as he did, Arthur's eyes sluggishly opened.

"Hey there, old buddy. Having a good time? I hope so. The rest of us sure have, especially since it was YOUR FAULT we got stuck in here to begin with."

Arthur tried to respond, which only made Lewis angrier. The little coward was gonna try to defend himself? "Lewis, I—"

"Save it." Arthur gulped in fear. Good. The more scared he was, the more he'd enjoy this. He was about to bring fire back around his fist to do it, but then he remembered: He'd made Mauta a promise. After everything she'd done for him, the least he could do was wait until she could see it for herself.

"Normally, for the trouble you've caused, I'd burn you alive right here. But unfortunately for you, someone wants to meet you."

Lewis' fingers wrapped tighter around Arthur's shirt. "Thanks to you, Vivi thinks I'm a monster. If only she knew the whole truth. But don't worry; you'll get what's coming to you soon enough. For now, let's just take a little flight, shall we?"

Lewis jumped back over to the hole that led outside, and funneled his power into his feet. Instantly, he was rocketed out of the cage, just as a blur of red came rushing into the chamber he had been standing in. Sorry Mystery. Too little, too late.

As they were streaking away from the Psychomanteum, Lewis whispered into Arthur's ear, as harshly as he could, "And, by the way: I hope that little episode in the cave hurt. I _really_ hope it hurt. Because if it didn't, I'll just have to make up for the missed pain when we get there."

And so, Lewis, with his quarry slung over his shoulder, flew as fast as he could, excitement building in his chest. A year and a half in the making, and his moment was almost here! Just as soon as he got to Mauta, he was ending this.

He couldn't wait.


	22. Chapter 21: Show Me a Hero

Arthur awoke slowly and felt cool evening air rushing through his hair. Eyes snapping open, he suddenly remembered everything that had happened. All of his fears and traumas came rushing back to him as he looked up sharply at the person holding him. Lewis.

Lewis was carrying him.

Lewis was carrying him very high in the air.

Lewis was carrying him very high in the air and _towards the cave where he had lost his arm._

Why? Was this supposed to be some kind of poetic justice? Arthur had lost a lot in there too! Well, not as much as Lewis, but even so…

They entered the all-too-familiar emerald glow of the cave, and Arthur felt his spirits sinking as the glow increased. Lewis was going to kill him. Lewis was going to kill him, and there was probably nothing Arthur could do or say to stop him. He wouldn't listen to reason, and Arthur knew there was no way he'd win in a fight.

He felt Lewis shift underneath him as they came close to the floor. Lewis grabbed Arthur by the back of his shirt and threw him down on the floor. Arthur skittered away from him as Lewis stared daggers into him. He didn't move an inch, though, and Arthur soon realized why. As he was inching away on his back, his hand suddenly fell into empty space. Sent off balance, he looked behind him and saw the terrifying sight of the yawning chasm behind him. Below, the old stalagmites were waiting, to ensnare unwary travelers. Travelers like them, a year ago. One more step back, and he would have done Lewis' revenge for him. He moved away from the cliff's edge, but still made sure to keep distance between himself and Lewis. He carefully stood, then turned to face Lewis' hateful glare.

"L-Lewis, I kn-kn-know you d-don't want to listen to me, but—"

"And why do you think that is, Arthur?"

Arthur tried to move past Lewis' interruptions, "I just want you to know, I'm–"

"You know you're not getting out of this, Arthur." Lewis took two steps forward. "After all the trouble you caused me, you're not getting out of this one."

"I-I'm not _trying_ to get out of it, I'm trying t-to explain!"

"Explain? _Explain_? What is there to explain? You pushed me off the cliff, I died, I tracked you down, and now you die. We've come full circle, Arthur."

"But you don't get it! It wasn't my fault!"

Lewis paused before he answered. "Not. Your. FAULT?!" He stepped closer, hair flaring brighter with his anger. "And then whose is it, Arthur? Vivi's? Her dog's? Whose?"

Arthur stopped and tried to recover his original point before Lewis got too carried away: "I-I don't really know, but—"

"You don't _know_. Isn't that convenient?"

"Oh my God, Lewis, would you just SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!"

Lewis stared at Arthur, surprised more than angry. Arthur continued, "If you're gonna kill me anyway, it's not gonna hurt you to wait five minutes to do it."

"You're stalling."

"And if I am? We both know Vivi won't make it here in the time it takes me to tell you my side of things."

Lewis looked down, considering Arthur's argument. He then looked up and grumpily said, "Make it quick."

Relieved that he would at least get his guilt off of his chest, Arthur began: "I don't know what forced me to do it, but I swear it wasn't me. Back then, right here, you and I scoured the cave off of an old rumor from our favorite ghost-hunting website that said there was a powerful spirit here. You, Mystery and I checked out the top path while Vivi checked the bottom. But then, something happened." Lewis' eyes narrowed as Arthur got to this point in the story. This was all things he knew already.

"I know, I know, you know all of this, but there's more. Before all of this, you and Vivi had just made up from a big fight, and you two were acting all lovey-dovey during the trip. Meanwhile, I was stuck in the back, alone, as usual. I never envied _you_ , really, just what you two had. The love, the jokes, all of it. I wanted it too, I guess. But more than anything, I just didn't want to be so alone. I was thinking about that all the way through the cave. Then, when we got to the cliff, I heard—you're gonna think I'm crazy–I heard a voice in my head. It was a lady's voice." Lewis' eyes widened as he said this. Arthur didn't notice, he was too lost in his own guilty memories: "She said—she said that she could make the loneliness go away. She said she would take care of everything. Before I could say anything, before I could tell her no, I felt this weird tingly feeling go up my arm. It was awful. I couldn't move, I couldn't even breathe. I could only watch." Lewis shook his head, confused. Arthur continued, "Whatever that lady voice was, she did this to you, Lewis. I don't know why, but I do know this:

–I am so, _so sorry._ "

Arthur stepped forward, still shaky from the trip through the air. "I should have tried to fight it harder, I should have done _something_ more _._ I could have explained to you back in the Mansion, I could have told you everything then. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to tell you the whole truth." Arthur took another step forward, and as he did, Lewis took a step back. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me, but I wanted you to know the whole truth." Arthur was getting choked up as he finished; he was surprised he was able to get out all he wanted to say.

Lewis regarded him silently for a moment, a look of thoughtful consternation locked on his skull. Finally, he looked up at Arthur and said, in a way that made Arthur think he was trying to convince himself, "How do I know that you're not making this up? You're on the spot, about to die. I don't know that any of this is true."

Arthur looked sadly at him and said, "You don't. I don't have any proof that I'm not lying, and I understand if you think that I am. Any other time, if I thought it would save my skin, I probably would. Shows how much of a coward I am, isn't it?"

Lewis didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. Here he was, at the literal precipice of his revenge, and now he was having second thoughts? _Now_? He was about to say something more to Arthur when he saw a familiar green shape fly up and land gently next to him. Arthur backed away as he saw the spirit, as if he recognized her.

Arthur backed away further as he heard the spirit speak. "So, the betrayer finally returns. Well done, Lewis. You are finally in reach your goal."

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am." Lewis looked unsure of himself as he answered the spirit.

Mauta stared into Arthur as she said to Lewis, "The time has come. The boy has friends, does he not? They will most certainly come for his safety. I fear that if you do not act now, we will have a bit of a struggle on our hands."

Lewis looked down at his hands and slowly said, "Yeah, I guess it is."

Mauta's face changed as she saw Lewis' look. She asked, with a note of concern in her voice, "Lewis, what's wrong? This is what you wanted, is it not?"

Lewis looked up at Mauta and nodded his head strongly as he replied, "Oh, it was! It was. Please don't think that I'm ungrateful or anything. It's just—well—now that we're here…"

He trailed off, and was about to finish his sentence when Mauta looked away suddenly, to the mouth of the cave. Lewis gave her a questioning look, and she replied by saying, "We have company. Company that you may be familiar with. Slake your thirst for revenge, and quickly, for you may not have the chance soon."

With that, she leaped away for the entrance of the cave, bracing for a fight.

—-

Vivi and Mystery entered the cave, its emerald glow shining brighter than the overhead moon and starlight.

Mystery stood still as Vivi climbed down from his back, sniffing the air. He told Vivi, "I smell a lot of powerful magic here. Keep your guard up."

Vivi responded by exclaiming, "Oooooooh, if it's a big spirit, maybe I'll get to test one of my new toys!"

She set her purse down with a clang and a squeal, as Vox resurfaced from inside the purse. Vivi stopped and apologized to Vox: "Oh, crud! Sorry Vox, I forgot you were in there!" After apologizing, she reached down inside of her purse, as Mystery asked her, "What _are_ you searching for in there?"

"Oh, hush. I want it to be a surprise!" Vivi replied, with a giggling glee in her voice.

Vivi didn't stop looking until she found a small metallic cylinder at the bottom of her purse. "Heeeeeeere it is!" She exclaimed, thrusting out the cylinder for Mystery to see.

Except Mystery wasn't there anymore.

Confused, Vivi called out, "Mystery? Where'd you go?" She turned to the small Deadbeat as she asked him, "Did you see where Mystery went?" She was answered by a questioning note, while the deadbeat shrugged his small shoulders.

Suddenly, Vivi heard Mystery's voice ring out, "Over here!"

Vivi ran over to where she heard Mystery's voice and came face to face with chaos. Mystery was locked in combat with a large, four-armed spirit. Vivi realized that it was the same one from her vision.

Vivi immediately tapped her scanners in the glasses, to find her power level. The reading marked the spirit as a Tier 6 spirit. It was the first one that Vivi had ever seen.

Tier 6 spirits were the highest of them all. Presences, as the class was named, were almost immeasurably powerful. They almost never took physical form, because they didn't need to, but when they did, it was a good idea to be about a continent away. Taking a body meant limiting their power, but make no mistake: they were still far stronger than any other class, even Mystery.

Without missing a beat, Vivi crouched down and twisted the two halves of the cylinder. At her touch, the cylinder began spinning and expanding, releasing hidden mechanisms and parts, until it had expanded into a large arm cannon, covering her forearm.

"You keep _that_ in your handbag?" Mystery turned and stared at the device protruding off of Vivi's arm.

"Arthur outfitted me with this. Said something like I needed to defend myself on our ghost hunts. Like I need an excuse for a new ghost-hunting tool," Vivi replied with a smug grin. As she turned it on and it began to hum, she added excitedly, "Look, LOOK, the laser even turns my favorite color!" The bore of the cannon, as she said this, lit up a bright periwinkle blue, and she took aim at the green spirit entangled with Mystery. The spirit looked up sharply at Vivi, and as Vivi fired, her form shimmered and vanished.

Vivi looked for her opponent, but then realized where she was as she heard the spirit breathe down her neck, "Armed for battle anywhere. I admire that, even in a human."

Vivi whirled around and fired again, but the spirit leaped up in the air and out of sight again. She suddenly reappeared and leaped down from the air above, while gracefully ducking and spinning. While she spun, her leg kicked out to take Vivi's legs out from underneath her. With Vivi on the ground, the spirit turned to face Mystery again.

The spirit spoke to Vivi as she grappled with Mystery:

"I expected Lewis' lover to come, but I didn't think she'd bring the Caretaker's hellhound with her. You've seen the demon dog's true form, girl. Does this not unsettle you?"

Vivi asked the spirit, "Just who are you, anyway?" The spirit responded as she grabbed Mystery by the tails and threw him into another wall: "They call me Mauta. I suppose you may do the same." Mauta leaped as Vivi fired towards her. Mauta spoke again, hidden by the shadows of the cave: "But you have not yet answered _my_ question. The demon dog has blood on his own paws. He is a monster, a spirit governed by his emotions. You would trust him with your life?"

Vivi aimed for the direction of the voice again and said, "Lady, shut up."

—–

Lewis hear the sounds of laser fire and explosions somewhere else in the cave. Mauta needed his help, he was sure of it. But before he could move, he heard Arthur's voice say, "Lewis please, I don't know what that spirit is telling you, but I think she's using you."

Lewis turned around suddenly. "What?"

"I saw that spirit in my vision at the Psychomanteum. She said to me, 'Let me out.' She sees you as a toy, Lewis."

"You don't know that."

"Lewis, I DO. Please, I don't know what she wants, but it can't be good. Go ahead and do your revenge later, but just don't do it here."

Lewis looked like he was starting to listen to Arthur, until Arthur said 'don't do it here.' Then Lewis' eyes tightened in anger, and he said coldly, "So that's it."

Arthur took a step back, saying nervously, "Lewis?"

"This whole thing _has_ been a stall for time. I knew it. You just want me to wait until you can escape, and then you'll go to hide, like you always have."

"No, no, no! That's not it at all! Lewis, please, I'll do anything to make you li—"

Arthur got cut off by a sudden punch to the gut. He was sent, flying, rolling on the ground, and off the cliff. He reached out, just in time to catch the edge of the cliff with his prosthetic arm. He looked down, and saw Vivi down at the floor of the cave, the same place she had been before, a year and a half ago.

"You're not gonna bargain out of this one, _old buddy_." Lewis' tone was acid that would have burned through the stone of the cave.

Arthur looked desperately up at Lewis and said quietly, "Lewis, please. Not in front of Vivi."

Lewis' face became a mask of rage. "You. Will. Never. Use Vivi against me. EVER. AGAIN!"

And he stomped on Arthur's prosthetic, severing the hand from the wrist, and sent Arthur plummeting down, down, down to his death on the rocks below.

—-

Vivi fired laser round after laser round after the spirit that called herself 'Mauta', until she pulled the trigger again and heard a beeping noise.

She called out to Mystery, "Mystery, I'm all out of ammo!"

She then realized her mistake as Mauta warped beside her and said, "Excellent." Mauta then picked vivi up with one hand and threw her through one of the tunnels, while turning to face Mystery once more.

Vivi got up on one knee from the ground where she had landed, and saw Mystery trapped, in emerald bonds, just like he had been in Vivi's vision.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Vivi yelled as she got up and ran for Mauta. She was stopped as the same emerald bonds appeared around her ankles, rooting her in place.

"Calm yourself, human. I have no interest in claiming his life. But he has done enough damage, both to me and to other spirits around the world. His punishment is far overdue."

Immediatley, Mauta turned to Mystery, and brought two palms out to his snout, slowly drawing them away. As she did, a strange red smoke, billowing and thundering with power, was drawn out of Mystery's mouth. Mauta captured it all, condensed it into a sphere in her palms. Mystery writhed and strained against his bonds, but it was no use. And as she drew out more, Mystery's struggling slowly grew weaker and weaker, until no more smoke came from his limp, unconscious body. His silhouette went red all over, and he shrunk down to his dog form. He slipped out of Mauta's bonds and fell to the floor. Vivi felt the bonds give underneath her, and she ran to get Mystery. He was smaller than ever now, perhaps a bit larger than a newborn puppy. Vivi gently scooped him up into her arms, and asked Mauta accusingly, "What did you DO?"

"I merely gave him his just desserts. He has had this punishment coming for the past few millennia." Mauta said without looking at her, staring with wonder at the glowing orb of power she had. After she had observed the sphere of power for some time, she turned to look down on Vivi.

"Take your dog and go. I have no quarrel with humans." Mauta waved them away with two hands.

Vivi backed away slowly. Ordinarily, she would take the fight right to her, but without any equipment, she wouldn't survive five seconds against a spirit like her. She said viciously to Mauta, "I don't know what it is you're planning, but you're not gonna get away with it."

"Get away with what? All I want is to get back what is mine." Mauta replied, all too pleased with herself.

Vivi turned and ran away down the tunnel. She had to find Arthur; she had spent too much time dawdling as it was already. She found that the tunnel lead further into the cave, and she recognized the sight of the field of stalagmites. Suddenly, up above, she heard the crunching of metal, and saw a sight that made her blood run cold.

She wanted, desperately, more than anything, to stop what was happening, to find a way to save Arthur, but Mystery was powerless, and her gear wouldn't help her. Vivi was helpless.

She could do nothing but watch, desperately, as again stone pierced flesh, and extinguished spirit.


	23. Chapter 22: And I'll Write You a Tragedy

It was done. It was over. The entire messy mishap was finally behind him. Lewis was finally free.

Or was he?

He didn't feel relief for what he had done. In fact, if anything, now he felt even worse. Arthur's words had shaken him more than he had thought. He was about to fly and find Mauta when he heard a familiar voice.

It was Vivi. Lewis had never heard her scream more violently in his entire life. She clutched Arthur's face, trying desperately to get him to wake up, to _please_ wake up, but there would be no waking from this wound. Lewis began to turn away, but as he did, he saw Vivi look up at the cliff where he had fallen from. Her tearstreaked face was searching for the one who had done this, for the one who had shattered her world _again._ And when she found him, as she saw him walk away, her eyes burned with hatred. She didn't care who he had been in his life, she didn't care about any of the memories that she had gotten back. She would never forgive him for this, not now, not ever.

It was all for nothing. He had gotten his revenge to try and save her from Arthur, but everything had gone wrong. She still thought Lewis was the bad guy.

And…maybe he was.

Maybe she was right.

Lewis flew through the tunnels where Mauta had vanished through. Finally, he found her, holding an orb of with power so great he could feel it from halfway across the cave.

Lewis gently touched down and said to Mauta, "It's done. It's finally over."

Mauta looked up from her orb and said to Lewis, "Well done, Lewis. I know how much this meant to you. How do you feel?"

"Not…Not nearly as good as I thought I would. I thought—I thought that this would make everything better, but now—"

"I was afraid of this. I really am sorry Lewis. I wanted to steer you away from this path, I truly did. But I'm afraid I still needed your help."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Lewis, as he said this, noticed that the twisted fourth limb was sparkling, changing. It was repairing itself?

"What's happening to your arm?"

Mauta looked down at her arm. With a twinge of regret in her voice, she said, gesturing to her newly healed, perfect arm, "It means that my bonds have finally been severed to this cave, thanks to your sacrifice."

"Sacrifice? What?"

"I'm sorry, Lewis, I truly am. I never imagined that, after everything that happened over the past year, that I would come to care for the being whose blood I used to weaken my prison."

Lewis took a step back, confused, dreading the answer to what he asked next: "What are you talking about?"

Mauta responded, slowly, pain in her face: "When I was first sealed here by the caretaker, she told me that I would never be released, that only the blood of a human, sacrificed by another human, would release me. I thought I would never be freed, until your group came along."

Lewis shook his head in disbelief. This—no. This couldn't be happening. Mauta couldn't have—she _wouldn't_ have done this.

Mauta pressed on, "Your former friend, with his jealousy of what you and your lover had, provided me with the perfect loophole. I took control of his arm and–" Mauta trailed off, miserably avoiding finishing her confession.

Lewis finished it for her. "You killed me."

Mauta looked at Lewis and somberly nodded her head.

Lewis ran his hands through his hair as he realized the full implications.

"That means I—Arthur was telling the truth."

"Yes."

"And that I—oh, my God." Lewis eyes widened, horrified, as he looked back into the previous cavern, where Vivi was still weeping. "I killed Arthur in cold blood."

"Yes, and in no small part thanks to my meddling."

Lewis looked back at her slowly, a look of complete and utter betrayal etched into his face. "Why—how could you do this to me?"

Mauta bowed her head in shame. "Words cannot tell you how sorry I am that it had to be this way, Lewis, but I have a sacred duty, and I have been trapped here for too long."

"Do you even care about what you just made me _DO_?!"

"I do Lewis. Much more than you realize. But I must finish what I was created for, and no one—not even the ones I care about—can be allowed to interfere in that."

Lewis' expression changed to one of miserable fury. "I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU MADE ME A MURDERER!" Lewis summoned his fire and began hurling bolts at Mauta. Mauta's reaction was swift. Fluidly, she bent backwards and around the bolts, snaking her way around them to Lewis, and hit his chest with one open palm. The resulting force sent him flying backwards into the cave wall. Stunned, he fell down to his hands and knees, only able to watch as Mauta left. With bitter regret, she said to Lewis as she left, "I am sorry, little one. The dance will take three days. Everything will be made right by then."

Having said her goodbyes, she leaped up into the top of the cave, and walked out into the stygian evening, no longer bound to her prison.

Lewis, still recovering, turned as he heard footsteps from the tunnel beside him. As he looked up at the sound, he saw Vivi, carrying the shrunken shape of Mystery in her arms.

He saw the tearstreaked eyes of his former lover, and he saw no love in them anymore. It was a cold stare, devoid of all care that they had formerly held for him. Slowly standing and backing away, he tried telling Vivi, through his horrified shame, how everything had gone wrong. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, how he didn't know what to do, but all he could say was "Vivi—I—I'm so sorry." And before he could say any more, his shame overcame him, and he rocketed away to the entrance, and into the night.

He felt small drips spatter his jacket as he flew. He looked down at them, then rubbed at where they had come from: his face. He saw golden drops on his fingertips. Golden droplets had leaked out from his eyeholes.

He could still cry. He might have been elated if this wasn't single-handedly the worst day of his existence.

—–

All over again, Vivi's world was shattered, only this time, it was thanks to someone she had once called her love. She wasn't sure how it had happened to him, but she was certain that it wasn't the same Lewis as she had loved anymore. She felt betrayed, infuriated, but more than anything, she felt sorrow, for something that she should have been able to stop, somehow. Maybe if she'd managed to talk to Lewis before he'd—No. Vivi got the feeling that whatever kindness had been in Lewis in life, all his warmth and goodness, was burned to ash within him.

She vaguely heard yelling in the other section of the cavern, but she didn't even pay attention to it.

She couldn't bear to look at the shape that was once Arthur. The spark of creativity and excitedness, his manic energy, even his timidity when approaching ghost busts, they were all things that Vivi would never see again. Wiping away tears, Vivi began to walk away, leaving the grisly display behind. Before she could leave, though, she saw a light appear behind her. She looked back at Arthur's body, and saw a soft white glow emanating from his pocket.

Vivi blinked, confused, and walked towards the light source. Gingerly, she reached into Arthur's pocket, and found a roughly cut crystal, bound to a leather necklace. Before she could examine the object further, the light flared, surprising Vivi. In her surprise, she fumbled with the necklace, and the crystal happened to brush against Arthur's hand. In an instant, the light spread to Arthur's body, changing his skin to pixelated light in a fraction of a second. Arthur was engulfed in an orange glow; all that could be seen of him was a silhouette that glowed his trademark orange. Watching in wonder, Vivi could only stare as Arthur's form dissolved in a magical vacuum, orange pixel bits being sucked, absorbed into the crystal. Eventually, all that remained to prove that Arthur was there were the bloodstains on the rocks, and his backpack, which lay on the floor. The crystal had changed from emitting plain white light to orange light. In the center of the crystal, there lay a perfect sphere of orange light, faintly pulsing, like a heartbeat.

"What…what the heck is…" Vivi started to ask, but Mystery was still out cold in her arms; there wouldn't be any answers from him right now. Vivi just stared for a moment, in pure confusion, at the small crystal, wondering what this thing was and where Arthur had found it. _It's not like Arthur to hold onto artifacts like this, especially if they look supernatural._ Vivi guessed it was because of how crazy the last week had to have been for him.

The last week had been crazy for all of them. That much was an understatement.

Unsure of what to do, Vivi's only thought was to take Mystery and Arthur—what she supposed was Arthur, anyway—and get out of this ancient cave. She repositioned her purse, slung Arthur's backpack onto her back, and griped the crystal tighter than ever by its leather string.

Slowly, she walked for the entrance to the cave. However, she soon realized that she wasn't alone still. As she aproached the mouth of the tunnel, she saw a familiar shape, on one knee. Lewis. The moment she saw him, she felt fury bubble up inside of her. If only the stupid ghost had listened, then her friend would still be alive, and they could have avoided all of this tragedy.

But her ears weren't greeted by justification or by protests by Lewis, proclaiming his innocence. He met Vivi's glare, his eyes widened as he saw it was her, and he said in a trembling voice, "Vivi—I—I'm so sorry." From the look on his face, he looked like he wanted to say more, explain so much more, but before he could say anything else, he summoned fire under his feet and shot towards the entrance of the cave, and into the night. _Well, I guess he's not gonna tell me anything._

Vivi walked slowly, burdened by all the things she was carrying in her arms, but she finally got outside of the cave. Once there, she walked across the road, plopped down on the grass, and set everything down, waiting for Mystery to wake up.

After about a half an hour, Mystery started to stir. He stretched, groaned, and slowly cracked his eyes open. Then, remembering what had happened, his eyes snapped open fully, and he whipped his head around as he gasped, looking for Mauta, looking for the cave, but seeing neither.

Vivi started to explain, "You passed out. I picked you up and carried you out here."

"Wait, what? How did you—" Then Mystery looked down, and saw Vivi's hands. Specifically, he saw Vivi's hands underneath him and realized how small he was.

"…oh. OH. So that's how." Mystery's eyes were wide with dread as he grasped what had happened to him. "She took my power, didn't she?"

"Yep, she did. Is that bad?"

"Well, considering I ate some hundreds of thousands of spirits during my life, and she stole almost all of that power from me, I would say YES."

"Well, great. Do you know what that 'Mauta' would have wanted with your power?"

"No idea. The energies I consumed were mostly destructive, I don't see what use she could have for them, except as a weapon."

Vivi nodded her head in understanding, and paused before she continued. Finally, she said: "Mystery? Arthur's dead."

Mystery looked up in shock at Vivi's face. He asked, "You—you weren't able to stop Lewis then?"

"No."

"I—I see. I'm sorry Vivi, I know you two were close. He was a good man, if a bit neurotic."

"Mystery—do you know what this is?" Vivi held up the crystal for Mystery to see.

He answered, "It looks familiar. Why, did you find it in the cave?"

"It was in Arthur's pocket. When I picked it out, it touched Arthur's skin and it—it sucked up his body. His whole body turned into light and got sucked into the crystal here."

Mystery's eyes widened as Vivi told him. Looking down in thought, Mystery said to Vivi, "I've heard of such artifacts, but I was never sure if they were real or not. Vivi, hold that thing carefully; you may very well be holding Arthur's soul in your hands." As he said this, Vivi's hands held the crystal even more gingerly. Mystery continued, "In times of emergency, ages ago, a soul could be collected inside a small vessel for safekeeping. They were rarely used, because souls are meant to move on, not linger. But if a person's advice was needed, skilled healers would sometimes enchant such vessels to briefly hold such a soul. It's not a permanent solution; eventually the enchantment will wear down and the soul will have to move on." Vivi's face fell in disappointment. Mystery wasn't finished speaking though, and added, "However, if Arthur managed to come across a relic that valuable in his travels, I doubt it was by accident. Someone must have placed it somewhere for him. Which means I think it might be best to see if there was anything else in that backpack of his that might be useful."

Immediately, Vivi unzipped Arthur's backpack, rummaging past his random odds and ends of machinery. Eventually, she found two things she didn't recognize: a compass and a red book, decorated with gold leaf. "I don't think these belong to Arthur."

"Didn't His…His Eminence tell you about some book he had given to Arthur to give to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he said—" Vivi cut off as she remembered, " _Read the note in the book when it happens._ "

Vivi looked at the book and saw what he had meant: a scrap of paper was marking a page in the ornate tome. She flipped to it and read aloud: " _Take the crystal to the Palace of Rebirth. You are expected there. You have one day to make it. Good luck._ "

"Typical. He tells you what to do and expects you to do it even if it's impossible." Mystery grumbled under his breath.

Vivi wasn't listening; she was reading the page beneath. It was in some ancient writing she didn't recognize, but she could understand it—well, sort of. It was like the words were being spoken aloud in her mind. She read aloud the page, titled, "To Summon Transportation," and the following syllables.

Immediately after she finished reading, she heard the roaring of an engine in the distance. She looked up just in time to see the Mystery Van pull up right beside her, its engine humming and filled with a strange blue glow.

Unsure how it had happened, but not stopping to question, she grabbed Mystery, who protested in how he was being carried along the way, and sat down in the drivers seat.

"Okay, 'Palace of Rebirth', here we come! Just a matter of figuring out how we get there…"

It was then that Vivi trailed off and looked at Arthur's compass, which she had hastily stuffed in a cupholder. It wasn't pointing North, it was pointing East, to the rising sun. Realizing that this must have been a magical artifact as well, she revved the engine and took the nearest road East, a shrunken demon in the passenger seat, a friend's soul around her neck, and hopes in her heart that Arthur might actually live to see another day.


	24. Chapter 23: Traffic and Truth

The sun was high, but Vivi's energy level was not. She had been driving since the sun had risen, and she hadn't slept all night. She was nearing the point of nearly falling asleep at the wheel, but one thought in her mind kept her going, all night: _have to save Arthur, have to save Arthur, have to save Arthur._ The note from the bookkeeper, marking the page she had used to summon the van, had said that she had one day to get to the "Palace of Rebirth", whatever that was. It was weird, seeing all of this now. Vivi had been following the paranormal activity scene fervently since she was in Middle School, but she had never even heard of some of the places she had been to in the past few days. She got the feeling that she and her boys had gotten swept up into something big here, and it was something that she likely wouldn't see again for a very long time. Vivi's stomach grumbled as she passed by a small strip mall with food advertisements. They had re-entered town a while back, and they were just now getting through to the other side. The compass that Vivi was following never wavered in its pointing east, though. Finally, after almost nearly passing through the entire city, Vivi heard a voice next to her, "Oh, just pull over already." Vivi looked down at the source of the disproportionately deep voice and saw Mystery awake, and staring critically up at her.

"Mystery! I thought you were still asleep."

"I've slept as much as I need to, but it's obvious you need the sleep much more desperately than I do. Find a place to pull over and rest. We've made good time already, you can afford to take a nap."

"So you know where we're going?"

"I think so; I can only think of one place where this route would lead to, anyway."

"Where?"

"You know where we're going already."

"I know where, but I don't know _where_ where."

The Palace of Rebirth holds an old spirit, much older than I. She is a life spirit, and if I recall correctly, she is an old acquaintance of our green friend from the cave."

"She knows Mauta?"

"If my hunch is correct, yes."

"Well, we can't just stop, then, can we? She might know how to fix Arthur, and–"

"You can't help Arthur if you're about to drop dead from exhaustion, little one."

"Little? You're the one who's smaller than my headlight." Vivi laughed.

Mystery chuckled before he replied, "Matters of shape and size aside, you DO need your rest. This is one thing I won't argue over."

"Mystery, I'm fine really, I can last another few—"

"TRUCK!"

Vivi slammed on the brakes as she nearly rammed into an eighteen-wheeler that had stopped at a red light before her. Jolted awake, if only briefly, she slowly turned to Mystery and said, "Okay, okay, maybe I could use a rest."

Mystery smirked at her before replying, "I'll save the _'I told you so'_ for when you're parked."

Vivi stopped in a carpooling parking lot and shifted into park. There, she switched the car off and told Mystery, "Don't let me sleep for more than four hours. Beyond that, and we might be cutting it too close."

"You don't even know where we're going, and you're afraid of being late?"

"Bookkeeper told us that we were expected at this place, and if it means helping…" Vivi yawned before she continued, "…helping Arthur, then no, I don't wanna be late."

Mystery's face soured at the mention of the Bookkeeper, and said slowly, "I would be careful not to put too much faith in him. He tends to be a bit reckless in his planning."

"What does that mean?"

"…It's a story for a later time."

Slightly grumpy that Mystery wouldn't tell her anything more, but so tired now that she could barely think straight, Vivi nodded her head, reclined her chair back, and fell asleep.

—

Vivi awoke to the sound of crumpling paper and warmth on her lap. As she opened her eyes, she saw Mystery dropping a small paper bag in her lap. She stretched and yawned as she awoke, and looked in the bag to see its contents. Inside was a fast food meal, one of the Asian places in town that Vivi loved. She looked up at Mystery for an explanation, and he replied, "You hadn't eaten since we left. You must be near starved."

"Where'd you get the money for this?"

"I didn't need it."

"Well, then, how did you—"

"I may not be at full strength, Vivi, but I can still muster a Glamour strong enough to fool most humans, and even manipulate their wills to a small extent."

"You hypnotized an entire restaurant to get me take-out?"

Mystery's eyes rolled in exasperation. "Well, if you must simplify it like that, then I suppose—"

"Joking, fox-face." She poked the shrunken kitsune with one finger gently, earning her a smirk from her pet.

Mystery watched as Vivi crammed her face full with the steaming white rice and hibachi chicken. Vivi looked up as she ate, then offered her box over to Mystery, saying, "Want a bite? You always did like chicken as a dog."

Mystery's ears twitched and perked up as he sniffed the contents, before saying, "Well, maybe a bite." Vivi fished him out a portion of the chicken and made a grossed-out face as he swallowed it without chewing, in his typical fashion.

"How can you even eat like that?"

"How can you eat while chewing your food? Personally, I never liked chewing. I find it destroys the flavor."

"Whatever you say." They both chuckled before finishing the meal in relative silence. Vivi wiped her hands on a napkin before asking Mystery, "Hey, remember how the Bookkeeper mentioned he was like your dad? And how someone 'went off the deep end?' What was that all about?"

Mystery looked at her for a moment, then looked away, obviously debating whether or not to tell her. Vivi added, "Mystery, you know that whatever you tell me, it's not gonna make me think any less of you."

Mystery looked her in the eye again, and said, "When I was first formed, a long, long time ago, I was found by the Bookkeeper. He was not enthusiastic about life at the time; he said it was too messy for his logical tastes. But he saw power inside of me as a youngling. More than that, he said he saw promise. He and I grew close for a time, before he gave me to the Caretaker, as a gift of love. Yet, despite for being the guardian of life on the earth, the Caretaker is one of the coldest and most detached beings I have ever known. The Bookkeeper, for all his love of logic and order, is infinitely warmer than her. He had hoped that I might—that I might save her from herself." Mystery sighed in melancholy before he continued, "He hoped I would kindle some love of life within her. I'm afraid I rather failed him when I left."

"Why did you leave?" Vivi's voice was quiet, not wanting to interrupt.

"My mis—the Caretaker—tasked me with doing something horrible, and I, despite having come to love her, had not the heart to do it. For a time, she was warmed by my presence, but then, she changed. I regret to say I changed with her."

After that, it was silent in the van. Mystery's eyes were downcast, filled with regret for past deeds. But then, slowly, he felt large hands come and pick him up, and draw him close. Vivi's embrace made his heart beat fast again as she said, "It's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes. It's enough that you're sorry. At least you're trying to make up for it now, right?"

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what she made me—"

"Exactly. What she MADE you do. She's responsible, not you, Mystery. You don't have to feel guilty for her evil."

Vivi gently set him down, before poking him in the chest again and saying with a smile, "Okay, enough mushy stuff. We gotta get to this Palace before the end of the day, right? So let's get going!"

Mystery quickly nodded in agreement, before turning to the window to track their progress. Even though he didn't let her see, her words were sticking in his brain, and he was beaming.


	25. Chapter 24: Mauta's Interlude

I am alone, at last. Away from prying eyes. It is so difficult to stay away from any who might try to interfere. Life itself veers at my touch. Grasses wilt beneath me, trees bend away to avoid my influence. They seek to keep their life, at the cost of balance. They do not understand.

The cycle has stayed imbalanced for too long, in life's favor. All who take breath, all who stand for life on this planet—they are unwittingly steering it towards annihilation. The forest that grows great and unopposed will choke itself out in the end. Decay is needed, decay is _necessary_ , to keep the balance.

Death is needed for the cycle.

I clutch the red orb of power close to my chest. For all of his failings during his miserable existence, the hellhound did manage to do one thing right: his power will help me save the cosmic order.

I finally approach my destination, after travelling so long. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel impatience, and fatigue. The human form brings both its blessings and curses, it seems. The plateau is tall, and high against the evening sky. There is no life for miles, here in the ancient desert. I gather my will, and my form shimmers. I reappear at the top of the plateau. I stamp my foot, and winds blow the dust of time away, to reveal the ancient markings of the past rituals and dances. An intricate carving is hewn into the rock, depicting the steps to a celestial dance. A dance of power.

A dance of unmaking.

I place the orb in the center of the carving, and I begin my incantation. I twist, bend, and leap, giving my magic form, purpose. The emerald glow extends to my fingertips, as I stretch out my hand to the orb at my feet. It is lifted by green mists, and sparks and bolts of crimson power arc around it. The sphere submits to my will, and red spirit energy shoots out from its source reservoir. The flaring energy swells, then shrinks down, and begins to take shape. It forms limbs, a torso, a head. The red silhouette breaks, and I see the form of a being, red and terrible, orbs of red rage piercing the darkness of the night.

It is alive, and yet, it is not alive. It is a truly fascinating creature, molded by the orb, and bound to the will of its possessor. It has structure, shape, but it is empty on the inside. It is a shell, bones of a forgotten being devoured in an age past.

It looks to me, recognizes me as its master, and genuflects, head bowed. I extend a slender arm and lift its chin up, making eye contact. I say to it, "You have been wronged during your life. Hunted down, for no more than sport. I would see you take revenge on your killer. What say you?"

With no hesitation, the creature nods its head strongly, eager for the chance to fight, to wage war, to kill.

It is no wonder that the hellhound kept them at bay for so long.

He feared them, and what they would do to him.

As the creature nods, he lets out a bone-shilling shriek, and the orb behind him spits our more furious energy. Dozens more of the empty constructs appear, all in the same submissive position.

I smile. The hellhound was undoubtedly going to try to fight back, but now, I have a surprise for him.

My personal army.

The Hollowed Ones.

 _My_ Hollowed Ones.

With the matter of the demon dog finished, I am free to finish my work. The orb is moved out of my way, and I take it's place in the center of the carving. I stretch my arms, my legs, my whole body. This dance will take three days, and I will not allow anything to ruin it.

Not when I am so close.


	26. Chapter 25: The Palace of Rebirth

"Okay, I can see it! Mystery, how much time do we have left?"

"Minutes before sundown, at best. You'd best speed up if you can."

"My foot's on the floor, Mystery, the van's not going any faster!"

Vivi and Mystery were approaching a large and verdant forest, starkly contrasting with the vibrant reds and oranges of the setting sun. Vivi's nap had cut into their travel time far more than Mystery had expected, and now they were racing against the clock.

"We shouldn't have stopped as long as we did. Crap, crap, CRAP!"

"Don't worry so much. We don't even know if this will be a proper solution to–"

"Sorry, Mystery, but I'm not gonna risk it. We're too close to an answer to lose it now!"

Vivi finally approached the limit of the forest as the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon. Vivi anxiety-ridden that she was late for the appointment of a lifetime, grabbed Arthur's backpack, stuffed the compass and the book inside of it, and slung it over her shoulder on her way out of the car.

Mystery followed close behind as Vivi ran to the edge of the forest, but stopped before she entered. She murmured to herself, "This isn't right…the Bookkeeper's note said we were supposed to find a palace, but…this isn't a palace…"

"Nevertheless, you are in the right place, my dear."

Vivi whirled around, and there, out of nowhere, was the Bookeeper, in his full sapphire regalia. Vivi stared for a moment, surpridsed by his sudden presence, but then recovered quickly, saying, "You know, people don't really like it when someone sneaks up on them like that, especially when you can teleport right behind them."

"Do they? I always thought humans did have the strangest thoughts on what was socially permissible."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mystery looking away, an irritated look on his face. She made a mental note to get the full story about his issue with the Bookkeeper later.

She looked back at the Bookkeeper and said, "Are you sure this is the place? I don't really see a palace here, or any buildings at all any buildings in there, let alone a palace…"

"What you define as a palace is dependent on your point of view. Now come. You are both expected, and I simply cannot stand to be late for appointed meetings."

The Bookkeeper gently ushered Vivi forward, and the trees slowly bent out of the way, revealing a dusty pathway into the dark wood. Vivi and Mystery slowly walked forward, as the Bookkeeper stayed behind. Vivi turned around to ask him, "You're not coming?"

The Bookkeeper drew circles lazily in the dirt with the end of his staff, avoiding eye contact. "Unfortunately, no, my dear. My duty is to watch, but not to act. I'm afraid I've interfered enough already. You'll be fine, just stay to the path and you'll find your goal." With that, the Bookkeeper stepped into one large circle he had drawn in the dirt and was engulfed in a sapphire pillar of light. When Vivi looked after the light had faded, he was gone. Beside her, Mystery muttered, "Typical, as usual."

"Okay, you have GOT to cut back on being so mean to that guy, he's done nothing but help us so far!"

"If you call his sideways, manipulative ways of controlling the world 'helping', I suppose you're right."

Vivi shrugged her shoulders in exasperation at the small spirit walking beside her, and together, the two of them walked into the darkness of the wood.

—-

"Mystery, you got some kind of flashlight magic we can use in here? I can't see a thing."

"Let's stop for a moment and recognize the fact that you just referred to a set of ancient arcane forces as 'flashlight magic'."

"Cut the sarcasm and help me maybe?!"

"Oh, if I must. But I won't be able to sustain it for long, mind you, or very far."

And like that, a small orb of crimson light appeared over their heads, floating with them to light up the path.

They followed the winding path for some time, squeezing past the briars and vines in the choked forest. Vivi was surprised that any trees could even grow here, with all of the weeds and parasitic plants wrapping around them, blocking out all of the sunlight. It was impossible to see very far; Mystery's light only extended a short distance in front of them.

Suddenly, Mystery stopped, and a tremor passed through him. Vivi paused and asked, "You okay? Do you need to take a break?"

"No, no. I just had a strange feeling, is all. I haven't felt like that since Mauta drained me of my power."

Suddenly nervous, Vivi said, "Do you think she's going to use your power to do something?"

"I wish I could say for sure, Vivi, but I just don't know. For now, we had best focus on the path ahead," Mystery said, and continued walking, with Vivi close behind him.

Vivi was wondering what they would find in here when she noticed something in the distance. A small, golden glimmer. She started to walk towards it, but it vanished as soon as she got close. She turned back to the pathway and saw, further down, the same golden flash. But as she approached, again, it went out and disappeared when she got too close. That was when she got an idea.

"Mystery, turn off your light."

"What?"

"I think it's scaring whatever's making that light away!"

Mystery complied, and the two of them were both plunged back into darkness. Then, the lights reappeared, in multitudes, and approached Vivi and Mystery. They stayed just beyond the path's reach, just out of touch. Vivi began to slowly feel her way towards the lights, careful not to prick herself on any of the thorns. Mystery called after her, but she was too focused on the lights.

Interestingly enough, though she wasn't concentrating on it, Vivi wasn't getting hurt by any of the vines or their thorns, even when she knew in the back of her mind that she probably should have stepped on something sharp by now. She was too busy following the little golden light, slowly edging closer and closer. Finally, she was close enough that she caught one right in her hands, and cupped both hands around it so that it wouldn't escape. Kneeling down in the unkempt grass and vines, she began to open her hands slowly to inspect her catch. She was half expecting it to be nothing more than a large luminescent insect, but having spent the last few days steeped in the supernatural world, she knew better by now. Sure enough, as she uncapped her hands slowly, out popped a small, floating, spherical spirit, chiming like a bell. Vivi slowly smiled as she stared down in wonder at the small spirit, who was just as interested in her, it seemed. It cocked its head at her, and jumped down from her open hands to land on her skirt, jingling as it floated on air.

Other golden lights flared in the darkness beyond, and Vivi began to slowly stand, brushing the dirt off of her knees before walking towards the lights. They were in two lines, directing Vivi forward. She took time to look at the spirits as she walked between them, chiming their jubilee as she passed and smiled at them. Eventually, Vivi's lit path came to a stop in front of a strange black shape, indiscernible in the near-darkness. The small orbs rushed around the perimeter of the circular clearing and as one, flashed bright. Their light revealed a ring of tall, ancient trees, regal and powerful, dominating the sky with their height. In the center of the circle was an old tree stump, almost thick enough to use as a bed comfortably. Vox suddenly darted out of Vivi's purse and chased after some of the orb spirits, trumpeting after the little bells. The small orb spirit that had led Vivi to this place jumped forward, and floated dreamily down, slowly coming to rest upon the stump. It jingled happily, making Vivi smile and laugh.

And as Vivi laughed, everything changed.

The golden balls of light all pealed together, and as they did, tendrils of light extended from each of them. These tendrils came together, began circling, forming a loose cylinder of light which bulged and extended. As it did, a deep, happy laugh resounded through the forest, and a gentle, cooling breeze swayed through the tree branches, as delicately as a lover's whisper. The lights suddenly contracted into a single small point, and then burst outward, bright as the sun. And out of this supernova, the light took form.

Four golden arms, slender and graceful, snaked their way into being, followed by a lithe and slender body. The form grew hair, long and midnight black, from its head, a giddy smile etched into the face. The body floated above the stump, back arched, both in stretching sleep away and triumphant ecstasy. The beauteous form landed softly, on the stump with graceful feet. Slowly, its—her—eyes opened, a deep red sparkling with energy and vitality.

The spirit curtseyed deeply, and looked to Vivi, smirking playfully. "Hello, little one. Welcome to my palace."

Vivi stared, awestruck by the fantastic display she had just seen. Slowly recovering from her stupor, and realizing semi-embarrased that her mouth had been hanging agape the entire time, she asked, "Um, ah, w-what's your name?"

The spirit smiled again good-naturedly. "I am Jinaya. You did well to find me here. My children are drawn only to those who are pure of intent." With that, she gestured to the small orbs beneath her. One of them stopped to stare at Mystery, who had appeared beside Vivi. It chimed joyfully, then jumped on top of his snout, which, due to his current size, sent them both tumbling down in the grass.

Vivi, suddenly remembering why she had come in the first place, brought out the crystal from under her turtleneck and said to Jinaya, "I'm sorry for the trouble, but do you think you could help my friend? He got hurt real bad—actually, I think he died—and I was told that you might be able to help."

Jinaya reached a gentle hand forward, then took the crystal from Vivi's hand. She floated it between her palms, scrutinizing the orange light pulsing within. Eventually, she said gravely, "This spirit has been tainted by the presence of death. I doubt there is much even I can do for him. I am sorry, child."

Vivi was crestfallen. This was not the answer she was hoping for, to say the least. Finally, she said, "Oh. Well, thanks for—"

"I wasn't finished, little one. I said there wasn't _much_ I can do for him, not nothing," Jinaya interrupted, with a clever smile on her lips. She closed her eyes in concentration, and began to hum, floating cross-legged above the stump. The crystal was enveloped in a golden glow, and as Jinaya hummed, her children jingled along with her, watching. Vivi and Mystery stared, hoping for the best—

–And then Jinaya's hands flew away from the crystal as orange light spilled outwards, pixelated orange squares composing themselves into the shape of a body. Vivi ran forward as the orange light took a form that she knew well, from its arms to hits gangly body to its trademark spiky hair. The orange silhouette came to rest in a sitting position on the edge of the stump. Embedded deep in its chest, the crystal was still visible, pouring out energy to support the body of light. Slowly, the orange silhouette's head lifted, and two fully white ovals opened where the eyes would have appeared. The ovals blinked once, twice, and then a mouth appeared, a white line. The line vibrated as the hologram spoke, saying in a strange, muffled voice, "….Vivi? Vi, is that you?"

Vivi could barely stop herself from bursting into tears, seeing her best friend alive again. Mystery smiled at Arthur, and Vox rang out his musical cries in delight. Vivi whispered, "Hey there, Arty." She threw out her arms to embrace Arthur, but the second her arms touched him, they went straight through, causing his image to glitch and shake. She suddenly recoiled, saying apologetically, "Yikes! Arthur, I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

After the image calmed down a bit, Arthur replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little woozy is all. Where—where are we? I thought we were—OH MY GOSH!" Arthur immediately grabbed for the spot on his chest where there should have been a gaping hole, and instead finding nothing but orange light making up his entire body. Freaked out at first, then moving to pure confusion as he examined his new body, Arthur slowly asked, "What—what happened?"

Vivi answered cautiously, not wanting to upset Arthur too much, "Arthur, Lewis killed you. He dropped you off of the cliff where he died a year ago. We managed to save you though, with this crystal that was in your pocket." Vivi pointed at Arthur's chest, where the soul crystal still radiated energy steadily.

"Lewis did this?"

"Yeah, he did. I'm sorry Arthur. I know you wanted to try to apologize to him for everything, but I think he's beyond saving now."

Arthur began to reach for Vivi's shoulders, then, realizing he couldn't do that, he asked her, "Did he at least realize who actually did this to him? I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"The spirit that possessed you? I don't know. Honestly, he was so obsessed with killing you there in that cave, I don't even know if he thought about it too far."

"Excuse me." Jinaya bent down beside Arthur, who jumped nearly a foot in the air when he saw her. She had a distraught look on her face. "Did you say a spirit in a cave? Was she green?"

Vivi narrowed her eyes as she said, "Yeah, she was. Do you know her?"

Jinaya stood up again, slowly, and said, "It is obvious we have much to discuss."


	27. Chapter 26: The Cycle

"Wait, wait, let me get all of this straight here. You and Mauta were _together?!"_

Vivi's shock was rather obvious to see. Jinaya sat crosslegged across from her on the tree stump, next to Arthur, whose spectral hologram of a body shimmered orange in the moonlight. He looked about as normal as he could in his current form, nervously turning back to glance at the golden spirit behind him occasionally.

Jinaya answered, "Yes, my dear. Unfortunately, I fear she was a very different being all those centuries ago. Her prison has twisted her, and she has scars that run deep. I fear they may never heal. Which is why we must be prepared." Jinaya then spread out her arms, and released a spell of some sort, creating a golden circular field, which came to rest upon the ground.

"However, before we begin, the full party must be here first." With that, she hummed and created arcane gestures with her elfin fingers, and a golden pillar of light streamed out of the intricate spell-circle. Vivi, Mystery, and Arthur covered their eyes in order to shield themselves from the light's intensity. And when the light slowly dimmed and faded away, there was someone there that they all recognized.

A being wearing a formal three-piece suit, with glowing purple hair and bones without skin. The being within the summoning circle was Lewis. A rather disoriented Lewis, at that. He appeared in the circle looking rather dizzy, wobbling on his feet. Jinaya, her face regretful, immediately chimed in, "Oh dear, my apologies. Instant Travel can be a bit nauseating for those not used to it."

Immediately, Lewis snapped out of his nausea, whirling to face the golden Presence. "Who are you?" he asked.

"It's funny. I didn't think ghosts were capable of getting sick, what with no guts or anything. As much as I'd **_thoroughly_** enjoy seeing that right now;" came a voice through gritted teeth. Lewis immediately went stock-still. He recognized that voice. And he recognized, with dread forming in the deepest pits of his being, the underlying anger in that voice. He slowly, agonizingly turned around, floating skull nearly cowering deep between his shoulders. He raised his hand and tentatively wiggled his fingers, saying, "H-hey there, V-Vivi. H-how've you been? You, know, since I saw–well, no that's–that's a dumb—You—you're looking—well?"

Vivi's responding glare would freeze Hell.

Before he could say any more, Vivi cut in, asking Jinaya, "Why is HE here?"

"I'm afraid he still has something to contribute to this story, my dear."

"I think he's _contributed_ enough already!" Vivi shot back.

Jinaya frowned, sighing, "Your words are formed by pain. You are still reeling from the impact of a loss. You–"

"OF COURSE I am! This guy has made one of my best friend's lives hell for the past month, at least! I get that he's mad, but why didn't he ask sooner? Why didn't he try TALKING to us?"

"Because I was jealous."

Vivi turned back to the quiet voice that responded. Lewis continued, "Mauta—she told me that Arthur did this to get to you. That he wanted you so badly, he would even…" Lewis trailed off, unable to continue. "Vivi, I—"

Lewis stopped abruptly when he saw Vivi's expression. It was a face of total astonishment, disgust, and a hint of remaining anger. It could only be described as a _what-the-actual-hell_ face. "You killed your best friend because you were jealous? You literally threw your best friend off of a cliff because you thought he was TRYING TO STEAL ME AWAY FROM YOU?!"

"Well, Vivi, I DID also think at the time that he–"

"I AM NOT A PRIZE, LEWIS! I DON'T BELONG TO YOU! I CAN BE WITH WHOEVER I WANT!" Her eyes narrowed before she added, "And I can keep away from whoever I want, too."

Lewis' eyes widened; this was NOT how he wanted this conversation to go. But before he could say anything more, Vivi turned to Jinaya and said in a surprisingly calm voice: "Do you mind if I take some time to get some air? I need to clear my head before you tell us whatever it was you needed us all together for."

Without waiting for a reply, Vivi stomped away from the clearing, back from where she came. Arthur started to stand up, saying, "Vivi, you know he didn't mean it like–" but before he could finish, his form started to shimmer as he walked away from the tree stump. Hastily, he sat back down before his body could fizzle any further, then said to Jinaya, "What's up with my body?"

She looked thoughtfully down at him, before replying, "When we placed this crystal in your path, we had hoped you wouldn't need it. Your temporary anchor will need to stay here, where my power is strongest, in order to sustain you." Jinaya stepped off of the stump, moving in the direction to where Vivi had gone to. "I shall go and collect her, shall I? We shall need her for the announcement."

Before Arthur could protest, Jinaya stepped into the darkness of the surrounding forest, and left Arthur alone with Mystery and Lewis. Before Arthur could talk to Mystery, though, Mystery said: "I think it's best if you two had some time to talk. I'll be back with the girls." And Mystery left.

And then there were two. Arthur and Lewis stared at one another, then both looked away, awkwardly looking at the forest around them.

Lewis spoke up first: "Look, I—ah—I had some time to think while I was away, and, um—well, I was kinda wrong, about you, you know, being completely responsible. For that whole. Yeah. So, I'm sorry."

Arthur looked at him again from the stump and said, "Lewis we were best friends. How could you ever think that I would want you DEAD? Even if you were–" Arthur cut himself off.

"Even if I was what?" Lewis gave Arthur a quizzical glance.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing important."

"Arthur, what is it?"

"Nothing I swear, it was–"

 **"WHAT?!"** Lewis barked, his hair blazing.

Arthur flung his hands up and squeaked, "Even if you were going out with someone I liked!"

Lewis stared for a moment, dumbly processing what Arthur had just said. "So…you _did_ like Vivi then. And that means–" Lewis' glare of hatred came back in full force as he slowly walked toward Arthur.

"L-Lewis?" Arthur asked tentatively, frightened.

"It means that it doesn't matter if Mauta was the one who pushed me off that cliff. You helped her. You let her in. And that's why everything went wrong. All of us would be living as best friends and _alive_ right now if you could have kept your feelings in check! All of this is just as much your fault as it is Mauta's!"

Arthur curled up into a ball, trying to retreat away from Lewis, as his domineering form stalked slowly closer, smoke wisps curling between his fingers.

—

Vivi stomped away, Vox streaming close behind her. She was grumbling under her breath, saying "…Of all the ridiculous—I can't believe that he—UGH WHY ARE BOYS SO DUMB!"

With that, she plopped down onto the nearest rock, and put her face into her hands. On one side, she wanted to forgive Lewis. She understood why he was so angry at Arthur. But he knew all the facts now. Why was he still so infuriating to deal with?

Vox looped around her body, cooing in sympathy, and came to rest on her shoulder. She reached up a hand in thanks and stroked him down his back the way that he seemed to like so much. "Thanks, buddy. I just wish Lewis would talk to all of us, and not just try to burn whatever he likes. I wish I could just understand better."

Suddenly, Vox stiffened on her shoulder, just as Vivi finished speaking. He flew up, around and into her face; all Vivi could see was his pale yellow eyes. She said to him, "Hey, Vox, not right now, I'm not in the mood!", just as she felt his tiny, stubby arms grasp hold of the sides of her face.

Then, his eyes started to glow brighter. They went brighter, and brighter, until Vivi feared she might go blind if he didn't let go, and then—

–And then she felt her mind change.

After the locket had somewhat restored her memories, she knew what had happened, but it was in a vague sort of sense, like someone had told her the story secondhand, with details missing. Now, whatever Vox was doing, it was changing everything she felt about the memories—literally, everything she _felt._ Vox was healing her mind, and giving back to her what Lewis' mind-wipe had robbed from her. All the emotion, all the times she had laughed, cried, felt joy, pain or any emotion connected to Lewis—it all came flooding back to her in a rush. And so did the soul-tearing pain of watching her boyfriend die. Everything that Lewis had tried to protect her from, and everything else that got wiped along the way–it was all suddenly restored to her mind. She saw the images from her memory blur past her eyes, like a slideshow in high speed, until the contact was nearly too much to bear.

Vivi tripped, stumbled, and fell over, along with Vox, and the two separated in the tall grass of the forest floor. Vivi lay there, wide-eyed, staring up at the night sky, trying to grasp everything that had just happened. She felt on the verge of laughing and crying, cursing and dancing for joy, all at once. It was exhausting, but a good kind of exhausting. She turned to Vox, to pick him up and and started to say, "Vox, I—I don't know what you just did, but thank–", when he slowly rose up out of the tall grass.

It would seem that Vox had changed as much as Vivi did. Where his skin had once been purple, like all of the other deadbeats, he was now a light, sky-blue. His eyes were the same bright yellow that they had always been though. He was the same Vox, just—just upgraded a little, it seemed. He trumpeted with joy when he saw his skin change, and he flew to tackle Vivi in his joy. Vivi hugged him strongly, and spun in circles. She couldn't even think about Lewis right now, she was too busy rejoicing. For the first time in months, she could see and think about everything clearly. And it felt AMAZING.

Vivi stayed there, hugging Vox for a while, until she saw a familiar glow walk towards her. Jinaya and Mystery approached her, walking between the trees as Jinaya said with a smile, "Well, I take it your time was spent well?"

Vivi nodded her head strongly. Jinaya continued, "I am glad. Now, we have need of you. There is something I would discuss with all of you."

—–

Back at the tree stump, Lewis and Arthur were waiting. Mystery called out to the two of them, "So, have you two sorted yourselves out, then?"

Lewis nodded to Mystery, and said, "Oh, don't worry, we've come to an understanding." He looked back at Arthur, who nodded his head vigorously.

Jinaya walked back to the tree stump, and said, "Now, I have called you here because of some grave news. With my…Mauta's…release, the world will likely be plunged into darkness, and very soon."

"Wait, what? What does that mean?" Vivi asked, concern and fright painted on her face.

Jinaya answered, "Perhaps some explanation is in order." She extended her arms, and a circle appeared in the air. It was an image, of things in the past, as they had happened long ago. As the picture moved, Jinaya narrated the events happening: "Since the near dawn of existence, I have stood with my partner, to keep the balance ever held constant. The world relies on a constant cycle of Life and Death, Light and Darkness, in order to remain whole. One cannot exist without the other, and so we are the safeguards to ensure that neither side can gain the upper hand."

"Okay, nice job in the cryptic department, goldenrod, but how about some specifics?" Lewis chirped

Vivi swatted him with her hand. "Don't be rude."

Jinaya continued, barely paying Lewis heed, "What it means, youngling, is that Mauta believes the world to be out of balance, and so she is planning to rectify that imbalance."

"And how is she gonna do that?" Arthur asked.

"She will perform the Rite. An ancient dance that both she and I have needed to use in ages past, should either side gain too much of the upper hand. It takes three days' time, but by then, should she finish, all life on earth, of both flesh and spirit, will be extinguished." As she said this, the image, showing a green dancer, released a green shockwave, killing all plants, animals, people—everything—in the image, leaving a desolate wasteland.

There was a stunned silence that passed between the group of six. Lewis finally spoke up, saying, "Mauta mentioned to me before she left the cave that 'the dance would take three days'. That was yesterday night. We might not even have that long."

"No, Jinaya is right. As we entered the forest, Vivi, you remember how I felt a strange feeling, just as when Mauta stole my power?"

Vivi nodded her head, nervous of what would come next.

"Well, I'm starting to think you may have been right. I think she did do something with my power."

"What did she do?"

"I think she has summoned the Hollowed Ones?"

Arthur asked, "the who?"

Jinaya took a step back in shock, her illusion depicting the ancient world dissolving as she did. "But then, that would mean—YOU are the Devourer?!"

Mystery flinched when he heard the old title. Vivi asked, "Devourer? What are you talking about?"

Mystery answered for Jinaya, "She means that in the days of old, I was known as the Devourer for the way I consumed some hundreds of thousands of spirits. The Hollowed Ones are what is left of them—moldering away within me, barely even spirits anymore."

"And Mauta has summoned a few thousand of these things?! Why?"

"A few _hundred_ thousand, actually. And most likely, she is using them as a defense."

"Defense?"

"She knows we will try to stop her, so she is taking pre-emptive steps to ensure that we cannot."

Vivi stood there, figuring it all out: "So, Mauta is summoning a bunch of dead-but-not-really-dead spirits to stop us from stopping her from ending the world?"

Mystery nodded his head.

Vivi threw her hands up in the air as she said, "Well, THAT'S just great! How are we gonna stop her now?"

"We're not through yet." Mystery said with a smirk.

Lewis cocked his head at the dog, asking, "Okay, then what's the plan?"

Mystery responded, "The orb which holds my power is central to controlling the Hollowed Ones. Without it, the specters will lose their last remnants of willpower and be little more than vegetables."

"And Mauta herself will not be a problem, either. Leave her to me." Jinaya stepped forward.

Lewis asked, "If you're some kind of almighty Guardian of Life or something, why can't you do this yourself?"

"I am a spirit of peace, and life. Mauta is my opposite. Mauta is offensive just as I am defensive. I have no power to fight. But I _can_ neutralize her power with my own. I will need your help to do this, though. We will need each and every one of you, excusing the young boy whose soul I have saved."

"W-what? I want to help!" Arthur piped up. He stood up as he said this, his form crackling and shifting like static. Vivi helped him back down, and said, "Sorry, buddy, but I think you gotta sit this one out. We just saved your soul, and we don't want you getting hurt all over again."

Arthur sat down, crossing his arms petulantly. Mystery, ignoring his pouting, said, "Well, if it's all settled, then? We'd best start preparing. We've one shot at this, and the world is counting on us. Pray that we don't fail."


	28. Chapter 27: Dances and Diversions

Mystery, Lewis, and Vivi drove together in the van, towards the desert. Jinaya flew close behind them, her magic leaving a trail of life and growth behind her. Vivi looked over to Mystery and to see him staring, unblinking, at the mesa that was growing in the distance. He said out loud to the others, "I can feel my power up there. Mauta must be at the top."

Vivi nodded, and said, "Okay, so everyone knows what they're doing?"

Lewis nodded and said, "Yep. Mystery and I go around and get Mystery close enough to re-devour the orb so he can take back his power, while you go with Jinaya and protect her all the way to Mauta. You _still_ haven't told me how you're going to do that, though, Vi. These are some powerful spirits we're going against. Aren't you going to need some–"

"I don't need any protection, Lewis, _thank you._ " The thank you she uttered came out almost as a hiss than words. Lewis, not wanting to press the matter now, turned back to face the road, and sighed.

The group pulled over about a mile from the mesa, hiding the van behind some shrubbery. The four gathered as they got out of the car, and Vivi said to them, "Alright, guys, this is it. Let's do this, and do it right, okay?"

Jinaya smiled, Mystery nodded his head, and Lewis did the same, if a bit reluctantly. As the group began to split up, though, Lewis grabbed Vivi by the sleeve and asked, "Okay, stop being cryptic, I don't like it. How are you gonna fight off a few _thousand_ angry spirits up there?"

Vivi removed herself from Lewis' grip, straightened her scarf, and reached down into her purse. She removed a large disk, about a foot long in diameter, waving it while saying, "I've got more protection than you realize, Lewis." Without saying more, she pulled on both sides of the disc, revealing a hidden pad with marked places to step on. Vivi set the stretched disc on the ground, and stepped on it, triggering some kind of mechanism with her weight as she did so. The disc lit up neon blue, and began whirring and clacking, sending plates of metal and circuitry up Vivi's legs, then her torso, then her arms. The thick armor locked around Vivi's normally small frame, making her a foot and a half taller, and wider than the breadth of Lewis' shoulders. Arm cannons rotated and locked into place above Vivi's wrists, armed and quietly humming. Vivi rotated and flexed all of her limbs, making sure all of the pieces fit together correctly as a large helmet cave down with a blue visor. The visor was slid out of place, above where it should have been, leaving Vivi's face the only thing still visible. Lewis, stunned, could barely make any words come out. Finally, he managed to say, "How…when did you…"

Vivi smirked, amused by his surprise, and replied, "A little after your death, Arthur had it made for me, in case of emergencies. I haven't had to use the full suit yet, except in tests. But I think it'll serve me juuuuust fine."

Lewis's eyes narrowed at the mention of Arthur, but then, suddenly aware that he was staring, averted his eyes quickly, and said, "I guess I shouldn't have assumed you needed protecting, huh?"

"Nope. But it's sweet of you."

Lewis walked forward, as Mystery called from further away, "We'd best be going, Lewis. We can't afford to wait much longer."

"I know, Mystery, just—just gimme a minute."

Mystery looked at Vivi, and then sighed, saying, "You may have ONE. Jinaya will be waiting in position. Be quick!" With that, Jinaya and Mystery moved to different positions near the mesa.

Lewis turned to Vivi again and said, "Listen, Vivi, I—I'm sorry about this. All of this. I didn't have any small fault in all this, and I get that now. I'm sorry for releasing Mauta, I'm sorry for the hell I gave you guys in the Mansion, I'm even sorry for Arthur, _even if he did help—_ no. I'm sorry about Arthur, too. I just…I just want everything to go back to the way it was before. Is there any chance that could happen? At all?"

Vivi looked down at him from within her iron shell, and slowly said, "Lewis, I get that you're sorry, and I'm glad that you're apologizing. I really am. But, after everything that's happened, I don't think that what we had—before—I don't see it anytime soon. I'm sorry."

Lewis began to make a face like he wanted to ask for more, ask why, but Vivi lifted an armored hand and said, "Not right now. Lewis, you're a good guy, and I'm glad that you're working with us again. We can be friends again, no doubt. But for now, we have a job to do, and I'm gonna need your fire." As she said this, her helmet's visor, at first a dark indigo, slid down into place and locked in, obscuring her face. It lit up, turning the same neon blue as the highlights and hydraulics on the suit. From within, he heard Vivi's voice through a speaker say, "Are you with me?" as she extended a metal hand.

Lewis, looked down at the ground, processing what Vivi was saying. It took him a moment to react. Finally, he looked up and took Vivi's hand. He shook it, his expression blank as he said, "For now." Without another word, Lewis rocketed into the air, quickly closing the head start that Mystery had gained. _Good…I think,_ Vivi thought, her relief mixed with a twinge of concern. She didn't like that _for now_ , but she decided not to worry about it just yet. Starting slow due to her new weight, her juggernaut armor quickly picked up speed as she left for Jinaya's side.

She had work to do.

—

Lewis and Mystery headed back for behind the mesa, attempting to take Mauta and her army of Hollowed Ones by surprise. As they approached closer, Lewis could see scarlet spirits circling the top of the mesa, and patrolling the floor beneath the mesa. Mystery broke into a full dash, which was surprisingly fast for his currently small stature. Lewis blasted more heat behind him to keep up as he shouted to Mystery, "Okay, how we gonna take out the guards?"

"You burn them and throw them to me, and I eat them. Once I get enough, I'll be able to hunt them again myself, or go after the orb directly."

Lewis nodded. That was…unusually direct. Mystery must be getting into the heat of the impending fight. Lewis started to prepare to grapple with the nearest land spirit, when a sudden cry above him surprised him. He looked up just in time to see a red flyer spirit coming down to snatch him up, talons outstretched. He threw his hands up to catch the vulture-like spirit by the talons, as it snapped at his skull with its beak. It flapped and struggled to get free, but as it started to carry him up, Lewis jetted fire from his boots and used the leverage to throw the bird into the ground. From there, he tugged and built momentum, heaving the bird into Mystery's direction, who was eagerly waiting.

The bird saw Mystery as it sailed towards him, then uttered a shrill cry of fear as it flapped away, urgently, desperately. Mystery inhaled, eyes sparking stars, as the spirit became red mist and was sucked into the demon dog's maw. Mystery ran his tongue along his teeth as he finished and said aloud, "Oooh, 3rd century. That's an old one."

"You judge the spirit's age by how it tastes?!"

"Yes, and I must say, one that has aged that old is always a delicacy welcome to my pallet."

Lewis made a disgusted noise and flew over to grab the next spirit. Mystery and he continued this dance for at least an hour, grabbing lone spirits and feeding them to Mystery's insatiable appetite. This continued until Mystery, at long last, stopped and went still. He said, half-dreamily, "I think that might have helped me a bit…" As he said this, his body was enveloped in a crimson glow. His body grew a size bigger, and a second and third tail grew from his silhouette. The red faded, and Lewis looked at Mystery's form. Bit by bit, it seemed that he was regaining his strength. Good, very good. The sooner they stopped Mauta, the better.

—–

Vivi and Jinaya rushed for the mesa, Vivi blasting spirits out of the way and knocking them into the ground with her massive armor while Jinaya danced just out of the enemy's reach, propelling herself forward with powerful leaps and jumps. Vivi yelled through her speaker over to Jinaya, "Come on! We need to be in position by the time the boys finish on their end!"

"Patience, my dear," Jinaya called over with a laugh. "Think less of where you must go and more of how you will get there."

"What does that mean?"

Jinaya merely laughed again and cartwheeled into a group of enemies. As one, they turned and charged towards the intruder. Jinaya moved at the speed of light, not raising a single finger in her own defense. Every move was one of snakelike evasion, or of simple redirection, moving enemies into one another. Within moments, all of the spirits were smoking remains on the floor, all having been vanquished by their own hands.

Vivi slowly walked over. "I…thought you said you would need help getting to Mauta."

Jinaya merely smiled good-naturedly and continued the climb up the mesa.

—

Lewis and Mystery were in a bit of a tight spot. Actually, no, that was an understatement. Mystery swallowed every spirit he could get his paws on, but he could only eat so fast, which left Lewis to fend for himself at the top of the mesa. Fending for himself against literally _hundreds_ of spirits. Towards the center of the mesa, Lewis could see Mauta as he fought. Her dance was one of the most graceful things he had ever seen, even from her. Her body left green after-images in the air as she moved to an unheard rhythm. He called out to her, "Mauta! Stop this! You're going to destroy everything!"

Mauta didn't stop or pause once as she replied, "That's the plan, little one."

Lewis wanted to talk her out of it, but his attention was redirected after one of the spirits took a swipe at his face. Lewis suddenly realized that something was wrong. The number of spirits on the mesa wasn't decreasing anymore. He turned to find Mystery and found that the demon fox had been taken down by his former victims, Hollowed Ones holding down his limbs and his tails, and forcing his mouth shut. Lewis sent a huge fireball at the Hollowed One holding Mystery's snout, and the moment Mystery's mouth was free, he shouted, "There's too many, I can't consume enough to get to the orb!"

"Then what do we do?!"

"Plan B."

Lewis ducked to avoid a swooping Hollowed One. "Which is?"

"Destroy the orb."

Lewis was stunned. This was Mystery's entire power source. If that thing was destroyed—

"How are you gonna get your power back? I don't even know if I can—"

"You can, and you MUST!" Mystery snapped at him as he struggled to launch all of the other Hollowed Ones off of his back.

Lewis watched Mystery as he drew the dead spirits away from the mesa, their desire for revenge overpowering Mauta's compulsion over them. Lewis turned towards the orb, which was puling crimson light in time with Mauta's dance, as the spun and twirled around it. Mauta was too caught up in her task to notice Lewis' careful aim, otherwise she might have tried to stop him.

Carefully, slowly, Lewis drew back, took aim, and shot the strongest, hottest fireball he could muster. The fireball passed in front of Mauta, who opened her eyes just in time to see the calamity unfolding. It collided, and the orb absorbed all of the ball's heat and power. Slowly, over the orb's surface, a web of cracks appeared, leaking out pink light that overtook the scarlet. Mauta watched with dismay as the orb cracked, splintered, and finally, shattered. Mauta leaped to avoid the crimson explosion billowing outward. Lewis protected his skull with his arms as the crimson cloud flew out over the mesa, then slowed down, stopped, and then flew back in reverse, sucked inward by some force. All that was left behind as the power was brought back inward by the vacuum was a small scarlet light. Further away, Lewis could see the Hollowed Ones dispersing by the thousands. With no one to guide their will, they would drift aimlessly. Being specters driven by hate and revenge, that probably wasn't a good thing. _We'll probably have to clean that mess up later,_ Lewis thought to himself, grumbling. But it couldn't be helped right now. What mattered was stopping Mauta from finishing the Rite. He looked up to where Mauta had leaped, and saw that her ritual was still going. She danced on air, appearing to pirouette among the stars.

Jinaya and Vivi appeared, having finished climbing to the top of the Mesa. Jinaya smiled at Lewis and said, "Well done, little one. I hope that the fight was not too strenuous."

"Meh, almost died a second time, no big deal." Lewis joked at the girls. Jinaya laughed, but no noise could be heard from within Vivi's helmet. Lewis frowned as he didn't get any reaction.

Jinaya looked up at the sky above her, and said, "Well, children. It would appear I have a long overdue meeting to get to. Let us hope for the best." And Jinaya leaped up into the air, to meet her former beloved once more.


	29. Chapter 28: Reunited

I spin and twirl, my lithe body leaving emerald after-images upon the night sky. The universe twists and pulses with my dance's rhythm, and I know no truer bliss. This was how the world had once known her: as sacred protector of the balance, and as renewer of the Cycle. I can feel the clockwork of the universe slowing down, grinding to a halt as the result of my dance. It's almost there, I've almost done it…

And then, everything springs back to its original state, humming, ticking with vitality. My dance stops, abruptly. I don't understand. I didn't miss a step, I never miss a step. So why has the universe stopped degenerating?

Then I feel it. I feel a power, so old it feels almost foreign to me. So strange, yet so familiar…

"Beloved!"

I freeze, as I hear the voice behind me. It is a voice that rings like bells, sighs like the sweetest music I have ever heard. I turn, slowly, walking on air, as I see a golden shape that mirrors mine in shape. We stand there, staring out at one another, not moving, not even breathing. I feel like I am staring at an illusion, one that will shatter into starlight if I should hazard a touch. When my voice finally returns, it is one that croaks, "Is…is it truly you?"

Silently, she nods her head, overcome with joy. "I feared that we would never see one another again." She takes some faltering steps forward, but I step backwards, unsure of myself. Unsure of _her._ Hesitatingly, my beloved asks, "What is it?"

My eyes narrow, in confusion. "How…how are you here? I thought we were both sealed together."

She looks at me sadly, before she replies. "I…we were. But my bond was broken long ago."

"W…what?"

Jinaya looks to the earth, in shame. She closes her eyes. "We were both sealed for many, many years. But as your power of death held you back, so did my power of life. I had but to heal a dying creature that happened to wander to my prison to free myself. It took several centuries for life to progress back to my prison; the forest was devastated by my sealing, and took many centuries to heal. I lay dormant, until I finally awoke to the cries of an animal, in its death throes. I healed the creature, as best as I could, and immediately, I felt myself freed. I was sealed for over five hundred years."

I stare, stunned, at my former bonded. "Only…five hundred?"

Jinaya closes her eyes tighter. "Yes."

There is a pregnant pause as I struggle to grasp this information.

Finally, I break the silence and ask, "Wh…where were you?"

Jinaya turns back to face me, pity etching her face. She must have seen the betrayal in my face as I slowly said, "I have been trapped in my cell these past twenty-five hundred years. I thought you were still trapped, all this time. Did you…did you even care?"

Jinaya comes closer, effortlessly crossing the distance between us. She takes my shoulders in her hands. "You know I did. Of course I did. But there were…complications."

My voice is bitter as I reply, " _Complications_?"

"I feared the wrath of the Caretaker once she realized that I was free. That madwoman's lust for power knows no bounds."

"And so, you entrusted these _humans_ to assist you?"

"They are not so weak as we thought them to be once."

"They are accompanied by her pet. Does that not strike distrust in you at all?"

"He seems to have renounced her. Mauta, you cannot let the years harden your sense of love for the world."

"And how should you know what I feel like? Have you no sense of what happened to me all those years alone? I—I almpst went mad. I could feel myself slipping away so many times. I almost lost sense of our mission, and I—"

"Our mission? Mauta—dear Mauta, no…this is not our mission." Jinaya takes my face in her hands as she closes the gap between us. "Please, please listen to me. Our mission is to maintain balance, but this—this is no balance. This is death, too much death. The cycle will be ruined if you finish the Rite like this."

"How can you be sure?" I say, stepping back, breaking our contact. "I would feel it if the balance was too much in Death's favor. How can you know better than I?"

"I have seen. I can sense Life's presence waning, even now. Your time entombed has corrupted your sense of the Cycle. Mauta, you are becoming the very thing you fight against."

I listen numbly as I process this. I want to argue, say no, fight back. I cannot be mad I cannot be. I feel myself, I feel whole, I cannot be…I cannot be mad. A spasm of terror grips me as I consider her argument. All those years, I had no one to talk to, but myself. But I wasn't talking to myself.

I was talking to the Fit. I wrap my arms tightly around myself, look down at the earth. I listen again, and, true to Jinaya's word, the earth is, indeed, in pain. I hear life scream as the waves from the Rite wash over it. I recoil as I feel my end of the cycle, Death, tip madly out of balance.

This…this isn't what I wanted. I wanted to restore balance, not end it. I look at Jinaya, and in my despair, I say, "Do what must be done."

Jinaya looks ready to say something, but she does not argue. It is obvious this was not the full answer she was looking for, but she nods and steps away. The two of us stand apart in the night air, mirroring one another. We move as one, spin and twist, until we come together. We step, leap, and catch one another in the astral tempo of the cosmos. The dance transcends human knowledge, human understanding, even human form. Our bodies grow hazy and blurred as the dance grows in strength and intensity. Our physical forms are released, and are set free to the starlight surrounding us. If my form was still intact, I would have laughed, were I not confused and broken-hearted over my destructive plot.

The rhythm of the universe takes hold, and I can feel the natural syncopation of the world is starting to return, renewed once again. This is what was meant to happen: renewal. For out of the ashes, there is meant to come new life. Death is nothing more than a transformation, a metamorphosis, and I am merely a conduit for that metamorphosis. But as the chrysalis is useless without the changing butterfly within, so too is death useless without life. The two forces are two sides of the same coin, inseparable as they are different. Perhaps this is something I will discuss with my beloved. Along with some other things…  
—-

Vivi watched from the top of the Mesa, and saw a sudden burst of gold and emerald light. _I really hope that's a good thing right there,_ Vivi thought to herself. The burst of light spread in all directions, releasing energy and strength across the world. Vivi saw the effect immediately as she looked down at her feet. Grass was growing on the mesa. And not just on the mesa, either. All around the desert, everywhere she looked, new life sprung up in patches. Not everywhere, but a lot more life was here than there had been before. Vivi guessed that was part of the whole "life-and-death-and-balance" thing.

"It's about time they set everything right," came a familiar voice beside her. Mystery padded up next to Vivi, watching the last of the gold and emerald starburst of light fade across the horizon. His massive tails brushed against Vivi's armor as he did. _Multiple_ tails…

"Feeling better, I see."

"Well, better, yes. Not perfect, but definitely much better than you saw me in the cave. I've gotten back a fragment of my strength. Make no mistake, many of the spirits are still out there."

"The Hollowed Ones?"

"Yes. And now, without the orb to guide them, they will only wreak havoc aimlessly. We'll need to try to collect them all."

"All of them?"

"Believe me, I'm excited as you are."

"Well, we'll get all of 'em back. Isn't that right, Lewis?" Vivi turned to look at the spot where Lewis had been. He wasn't there anymore. Vivi turned to look for Lewis all around her, but there was no sign of the purple specter anywhere. Vivi called out, "Lewis? Lewis, are you there?"

"It would seem that your lover has decided to leave the party early once again."

"Okay, first of all, I think it's safe to say we're taking a break, at least. Second, where do you think he went? Can you track him?"

"Normally, yes. However, my senses are still very weak from Mauta draining me. Right now, every ghost scent smells the same, aside from extremely powerful ones, and with all of the Hollowed Ones travelling in all directions away from here, trying to find Lewis' scent will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Crap. So no chance of finding him tonight?"

"Very unlikely."

"Alright. We'll have to worry about him later, after we…" Vivi trailed off to look up as Mauta and Jinaya returned to the ground, once more clothed in physical form. Mauta and Vivi locked eyes for a tense moment, before Mauta looked away, disgraced. Vivi glared, for a long time, before she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Feel better, Mauta?"

Mauta blinked, surprised, at Vivi's reaction. "I…much better, now. Thank you, child."

"Great. Glad to hear it."

Mauta looked at Vivi uncertainly. "You are not angry?"

"Oh, I'm furious." Vivi smiled disarmingly as she said this. "Seethingly, blood-boilingly furious."

Mauta nodded slowly, in disconcerted understanding. "I…see."

"But, Lewis obviously saw good in you. I know Lewis—well, _knew_ him—And he hasn't changed that drastically. He wouldn't work with you for a year and a half if he didn't think there was good in you. So, I'm going to choose to see the good in you too."

"I appreciate it, child, I truly do, in fact—"

"But I haven't forgotten the fact that you killed Lewis. Or that you indirectly tried to kill Arthur. Or that you, you know, _almost caused the apocalypse_." Vivi's grin was starting to become frightening at this point. "Just food for thought."

"Arth—Ah, yes, the golden-haired boy!" Mauta's face brightened as she remembered Arthur. "What do you mean, 'tried to kill?'"

"Well, we managed to save his soul, but he's not going to be around for much longer, thanks to you. So, actually, you basically did—"

"Hold. You said his soul is still in this plane of existence?" Mauta's eyes widened with surprise.

"They speak the truth, dear one. I reactivated the boy's soul crystal myself." Jinaya chimed in, happily recounting the event.

"Excellent! This is good news! Well, then, perhaps we'll be able to assist him and reverse some of the damage I've caused."

"What do you mean?" Vivi asked, suddenly interested.

"It was the touch of death that stopped his body from being healed, was it not?" Mauta turned and asked Jinaya.

"Indeed it was." Jinaya nodded as she spoke in confirmation.

"Perfect. Then, since it was my power that prevented the healing, my power can facilitate the crafting of a new body for this Arthur. At least, a temporary one until we can restore the one he was born with."

"Really? Oh, that's great!" Vivi laughed out loud. It was the first truly good news they'd heard in a while. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get to the forest, Arthur's there, waiting for us!"


	30. Chapter 29: End of the Beginning

Lewis floated away from the site of the battle, away from Vivi, Vox, and Mystery, away from the celestial duo, away from prying eyes. More than anything, he wanted to be alone. He wanted to forget everything that had happened in the past few weeks. He flew away quietly while Vivi watched the kaleidoscopic lightshow that was happening in the sky above the mesa. It really was beautiful, but Lewis had other things on his mind.

He had been lied to. He had been completely and utterly duped. This was the second time in a row that this had happened now. Mauta had used him, and Arthur had betrayed him before her. Lewis didn't care how much of a hand Mauta had had in his death. He had studied under her for long enough to learn that for a possession to work, you had to want it, had to accept it, at least in some small part of yourself. Arthur, no matter how much he would deny it, had wanted Lewis' death to happen, at least in some deep, dark part of himself. And, as usual, his thoughts started arguing, back and forth, like a pinball cracking against the inside of his skull.

 _-Are you seriously going to hold this against him? After everything?_

 _~And why shouldn't I?_

 _-Well, for starters, we know he didn't_ actively _push you down, that was all Mauta._

 _~He could have spoken up. He could have shouted a warning; he could have done—done SOMETHING!_

 _-You know what I think? I think that you just don't want to admit that you were wrong, all this time, and it's too much for your fragile pride to say, "_ I'm sorry, too, Arthur. I'm sorry for the hell I put you through at the mansion. I think we're even now."

 _~Except we're not. I'm dead, Arthur's…_

 _-Arthur's what? NOT dead? I'm pretty sure that info's a bit outdated right now. Just a tip, Lew: don't take the high road while your hands are still bloody._

Grimacing at himself, Lewis passed Jinaya's forest, where he could see a glint of orange in the heart of the forest. _It's always easier to pretend nothing's wrong…_

 _—_

The five reached the inner heart of the forest just before dawn. Vivi entered first, Vox perched on her shoulder, and Vivi padding alongside her. Mauta and Jinaya walked in on either side of Vivi, silently approaching Arthur's tree stump. Arthur's orange hologram of a body flickered and glitched nearby as he sat, looking up at the sky, not noticing the new arrivals. He was startled out of his trance as he heard the crunching of leaves on the forest floor. At first, he looked relieved to see Vivi, then looked and saw Mauta behind her, and gasped, losing his balance and falling behind the tree stump.

"V-V-Vivi, you've ah, you've got…" Arthur trailed off into terrified silence as Mauta walked up to him, grim as midnight. She turned to Jinaya and asked, "How long has he been active?"

Jinaya answered, "About a few hours, now."

Mauta turned and said, "Then we haven't much time left. We need to harvest him now."

Mauta reached out an emerald hand to touch Arthur's orange hologram of a body, and he shied away, whimpering, "H-h-harvest? Vivi, what is she talking about? Why is she here?" Arthur ran over to Vivi for an answer, trying to grab her shoulders with insubstantial hands.

Vivi did her best to comfort him, saying, "Arthur, it's alright, you don't have anything to worry about a thing anymore. They're going to take care of you, make you better."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Mauta knows a way to save you, Arthur, you just have to—" Before Vivi could finish, though, she could feel a weight rise up from her purse and squawk behind her. Vivi turned and saw Vox, being uncharacteristically brave by straying from her handbag. The blue deadbeat snaked itself through the air, looping itself into space until it came to rest directly in front of Arthur's soul crystal. It floated there, transfixed, as its eyes drank in the orange pulsating glow.

Vivi, confused, asked, "Vox? What's wrong, buddy? Are you okayyyyYIKES!" Vivi's question turned into a scream as Vox, the kindhearted, innocent deadbeat who loved Vivi enough to try to protect her from threats, grew a set of fangs and darted forward, piercing straight through Arthur's body. When he came out the other side, the soul crystal was clamped firmly in his jaws. Arthur screamed in pain before his hologram shattered into orange pixels. Vivi asked the deadbeat, "Vox, what are you doing? You can't take that crystal, it's important! Give it back, right no—HEY!" Vox did not answer, instead streaking off into the forest, indigo body trailing behind him.

"Vox! Vox, stop it!" Vivi and Mystery started to run after the little deadbeat, Mystery close behind. Mystery started quickly making up for lost ground in his kitsune form. He raced between the trees, closing the gap closer and closer until he was able to chomp onto the ghostling by its ribbonlike tail. With a snap of his neck, Mystery opened his jaws and hurled Vox into a tree trunk, still gripping Arthur in his stubby hands.

Vox squawked as he hit the tree with a thunk and dropped to the ground, as Mystery slowly approached, growling, "Drop the soul crystal, minion." Vox screeched in response, taking flight once more. Shaking his head, Mystery once more leaped into the chase, taking leaps and bounds of distance as he raced after the imp.

He had nearly caught Vox all over again when they emerged from the forest, and continued the chase over grassy plains. Mystery leaped for Vox again, opening his jaws wide to clamp down on his prize. But suddenly, a warm burst of energy bloomed, then exploded across his side, sending him rolling and sprawling on the grass. Shakily, Mystery stood, roaring as he looked for the source of the attack, "WHO DARES?!"

"It would seem the centuries have not mellowed your impetuousness." A voice came from the side he had been struck by, and a cherry pink flame lit the palm of a slender face, the eons of time present in her eyes.

Mystery recognized that face. He recognized it all too well. Instantly, he scrambled backwards, putting distance between him and the feminine shape. The indigo deadbeat came to rest on the woman's shoulder, the soul crystal glowing faintly in its snakelike coils. Mystery growled through gritted teeth, "Why are you here? What do you want with the boy?"

"I am simply here to get what is mine, _Inya_."

Mystery shuddered as the word left her lips, but shrugged the feeling off and said, "You have no right to endanger human lives, especially to try and get to me. I am beyond you now. You have no claim on me anymore." Out of the corner of his eye, Mystery saw Vivi burst through the forest edge, finally catching up, breathing heavily. Vivi started to speak, "Mystery, did you catch up to—"

She stopped as she saw the imposing silhouette, dimly lit by the cherry flame held in a graceful hand. Vivi instinctively took a step back from the imposing creature as it spoke. The mysterious woman reached out a gentle hand towards the pile of spectral coils on her shoulder, eliciting a purr as she plucked the soul crystal from its grasp. Vivi noticed that as she did so, Vox's eyes flashed cherry pink.

Slowly putting the pieces together, Vivi called out, "You—you've been controlling Vox? Why?"

The figure stroked one finger under Vox's chin, saying, "It pays to keep tabs upon all the players in this celestial game of ours. I learned this the hard way after the release of the life spirit. I had thought my enchantment would keep her in her place, but it would seem I was incorrect. Unusual, but nothing that cannot be rectified." With that, she began to stride forward, towards the forest.

Mystery leaped into her path, growling as he did, "Leave the two of them out of this. The world is only now just starting to return to the balance it once had, it will be shattered forever if you imprison them again." Mystery bowed his head before he continued, "You have me, leave the Cycle spirits be."

Vivi barked, "Wait, what? Mystery, no! You—you can't just—"

The shadow raised a hand for quiet, and immediately Mystery sensed a Silence clamp itself over Vivi's tongue. If he wasn't so focused on saving Arthur, he would have been furious. The form began to speak again, more to Mystery than to Vivi, "Ironically, that is partially why I have come. I am in need of a new herald, but make no mistake: I have not come for you, youngling."

Mystery sharply raised his head in confusion. _If she's not here for me, then what is she…oh, no._

"Although putting the life and death spirits in their place again is indeed tempting, I have come to replace my old herald: you. I have no need for you anymore. Not when I have the capability to create and mold a new herald to my liking." The shadow inspected the soul crystal between a thumb and index finger, casting a pale orange glow onto her formerly obfuscated face. A bright yellow eye could be seen, followed by a row of sharp, pointed teeth. "I shall create a servant whose power will be equal to yours, greater even. And he shall not be shackled by the pains of your morality. There will be only nature's way by the time I am through, dog. Only Chaos's way."

Mystery leaped forward, jaw wide to bite. The shadow snapped backwards, like a branch whipped in a strong wind, and immediately rose up to counter, raising one hand and dousing Mystery in a stream of cherry pink fire. Mystery cried out in pain, and fell to the ground. The spirit laughed, a derisive, mocking laugh, and said, "You've lost your edge. What did that Presence do to you? Destiny is a strange mistress, is she not?" She walked towards Mystery's now-shrunken dog form and kicked him out of her way.

Vivi would have screamed if her mouth wasn't still frozen shut. She ran towards where Mystery had landed, and stared venom up at the spirit, who looked down at the two of them cruelly. She said to Vivi, "Tell the fool when he wakes that, out of thanks for the service he did for me, I will leave the two Presences alone in their forest for now. But should they try to cross me again, I will do far worse than seal them away."

Vivi could only watch as the shadowy form lifted off of the ground and floated away in the moonlight, the orange glow from Arthur's soul crystal growing fainter with every passing second. Mystery lay unresponsive in Vivi's arms, unable to help again. Vivi couldn't even process what had just happened; the only thing she could think to say, once her mouth finally unclamped, was "…so close. We were so close…"

—–

Lewis touched down in the lamplit street where his parents' restaurant was located. It was the only place he could think to go to. At least he could talk to his parents. It would be hard, but at least they would be there for him. He could always count on them.

Lewis walked slowly to the front door; the only noise that could be heard was his shoes clicking against the pavement. Lewis raised his hand to knock on the door, but hesitated. Would they even recognize him like this? Would they want to take him back in? Arthur had to have told them about their little run-in in the mansion. What would be their reaction? Maybe he shouldn't…

Then, the silence was broken by a single shriek, in the back alley. Lewis whipped his head in the direction of the sound. He knew that voice. It had been a year, but he knew that voice like his own. It was Cayenne, the littlest of the three Pepper girls. Lewis jumped off of the front porch and flew around to the other side of the building. He hovered above the line of sight, scanning the scene. There she was, little Cayenne, eight years old. And there was the source of the shriek: a man had cornered her in the alleyway, a glinting knife in his hand. That old kitchen door was terrible about locking behind you if you weren't careful. Mom and Dad had always said that it tended to lock at the worst times…

"Come on, girly, let me see what's in those pockets."

"I don't have anything! Leave me alone, please!"

Immediately, Lewis felt a bubbling, seething anger replace all reason. He streaked down through the air, fire and fury bathing the dirty alleyway in pink light. Lewis aimed his foot into the intruder's back, sending him sprawling on the ground, hard. The man turned over, whirling his knife to slash an enemy, but then he saw. His eyes widened as he saw the specter of vengeance landing in front of him. The knife dropped from his hand and clattered against the concrete, making a more audible sound than the man's pathetic whines and wheezes for mercy. Lewis opened one palm, fire blazing in his hand. He said only two words, but they reverberated through the alleyway with a force that surprised even him: "Leave. Now."

The man was gone like a shot, sprinting over the wire fence behind him and out into the alleyways beyond. Lewis felt his temper dim with the pink light around him. Lewis turned to face the corner of the alleyway, closest to the wire fence, and saw his sister looking at him, but not in wonder, as he had expected. She looked at him in fear, in terror. Walking slowly forward, Lewis reached one hand out, saying, "Cayenne? It's me. It's Lewis, you don't have to—"

He didn't get a chance to finish. As his hand brushed her cheek, she recoiled with another shout. Her skin near where his hand had been was red and hot. Lewis took a step back. He had burned her? But he hadn't meant to! He had wanted to protect her, not hurt her! He didn't get a chance to voice his concerns. He didn't get a chance to voice anything else. Cayenne scrabbled around him and dashed for the front door. Lewis started to call after her, but then looked down at his hand. It was still smoking from the fire.

 _Idiot. You don't have a problem with stopping muggers, but you can't check your own hand before you help someone?_

She would never trust him now. He wasn't even sure she had recognized him. He almost wanted to go to the front door and apologize, but then he heard the bang of the front door opening. He heard another voice, this one fierce and protective.

"Who's out there? So help me God, if you're still back there, and I get hold of you—"

Lewis saw the owner of the voice as she came around the corner. Mrs. Pepper ran out to the edge of the alleyway, looking left, then looking right, then finally whirling around to look into the alley. Mrs. Pepper's eyes finally fell on him, and it burned worse than any fire ever could. Lewis saw her eyes, and there was no love in them. There was nothing but a fierce anger. Lewis knew it, as he had felt it himself once. It was hatred.

Overcome with regret, Lewis jetted into the air and flew away. His own sister feared him, his own mother hated him, his lover didn't feel anything for him anymore. He felt like dirt, lower than dirt. And the worst part of it all was: it was all his fault. He had done this to himself. He had become what he hated the most: the ghost. Something to be feared, hunted down, removed from this world. Lewis was almost glad he wasn't human anymore. At least he couldn't cry anymore.

 ** _End of Arc 1_**


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